Desert solar farms . . . plenty of sun, but big shortage of water
Putting sun-powered electrical generation in the sunny desert seems like a natural, except deserts are dry-
Desert clash in West over solar potential, water. By Rita Beamish. Associated Press Writer
Tagged with: solar energy

Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University with specialties in natural resource politics, public opinion, interest groups, political parties, voting and elections. Aside from academic publications, he is author or co-author of three hiking/backpacking guides, and he is past President of the Western Watersheds Project.
One Response to Desert solar farms . . . plenty of sun, but big shortage of water
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Yes. Like solar development by greedhead Harvey Whittemore, a developer that Harry Reid’s special favors have rained down upon in all kinds of special legislative gifts.
Whittemore bought the Geyser Ranch north of Pioche so he could pipe water from thee south to the infamous Coyote Springs development. Then the economy went bust, and now no one wants to live in a destructive development in the middle of nowhere – so now Whittemore wants to use the piped, exported water for one of these horrid industrial solar facilities. Oh yes, and a very large public lands grazing permit went along with that property purchased for water. Ely BLM BLM recently rubber-stamped a 10-year grazing permit for the Geyser Ranch that contains habitat critical to declining sage-grouse on the southern edge of their range. See http://www.westernwatersheds.org/legal/2009/01/wwp-litigates-blm-grazing-decisions-across-great-basin-core-sage-grouse-habitat .