BLM APPROVES CONTROVERSIAL SODA MOUNTAIN SOLAR PROJECT

The Bureau of Land Management announced Tuesday that it approved a controversial solar energy project adjacent to the nearby Mojave National Preserve, despite the fact that no power company has agreed to buy the electricity it would generate. Hundreds of conservation organizations and environmentalists and scientists—including some employed by the BLM—have argued against the Soda Mountain Solar Project, saying that it would block migration routes for bighorn sheep and other wildlife between the Soda Mountain Wilderness Area and the adjacent Mojave National Preserve. The Soda Mountain Solar Project, to be built on 1,700 acres of public land six miles southwest of Baker near Interstate 15, will produce 287 megawatts of energy, enough to power 86,000 homes. The developer originally proposed to use transmission lines owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) to get the power from Soda Mountain to Los Angeles, but last June, the DWP announced it was backing out of the deal to buy the power. The developer said it has addressed concerns about the project by scaling down its size by 450 acres and removing solar panels that were to be placed on the north side of the freeway to reduce visual blight.