Federal plans to open up the desert for massive solar farms has angered environmentalists
Story by Matthew Rozsa • 26m
Most people recognize that our current relationship with fossil fuels is untenable. The more we burn them, the faster we cook our planet, turning the climate hotter and "weirder," triggering disastrous and deadly extreme weather, withering crops and undermining infrastructure.
Renewable energy (and arguably nuclear power as well) is presented by scientists and environmentalists as our ticket out of this mess. So an ambitious new proposal from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that aims to overhaul our renewable energy sector would presumably be seen as welcome news. According to a report BLM released in late August, the government is proposing to make 31 million acres across 11 western states available for solar energy development. It would also streamline the permitting process, making it easier for energy companies to quickly build solar.
But instead, a large number of environmentalist groups are upset with the plan, claiming that it will utterly destroy fragile desert ecosystems in the process.
In theory, BLM's proposal will help the environment by bringing the United States closer to President Joe Biden's goal of achieving 100% clean energy by 2035. Yet scientists told Salon this project may come with a serious environmental toll of its own.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/federal-plans-to-open-up-the-desert-for-massive-solar-farms-has-angered-environmentalists/ar-AA1qQUJC?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=782de0c828bb4a32b42f77f0fad1ab6d&ei=51
