LAND OPENED TO NEW ENERGY

Governor trims red tape for energy projects
David Danelski, March 22, 2010 (Riverside Press-Enterprise)

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger…signed a [California] law that he and federal officials say will speed approvals for large-scale solar and wind projects, improving chances that they will meet a federal deadline to qualify for federal stimulus dollars.

"[The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan] allows energy developers to pay fees to compensate for wildlife habitat destroyed during construction, rather than having to acquire replacement land. State and federal agencies will use the fees to buy and protect land for wildlife or to restore or enhance habitat to bolster populations of plants and animals that are at risk of extinction."

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"The signing ceremony, illuminated with plentiful solar energy from the sky above, was held outside [ the 160-megawatt NextEra Harper Lake Solar Electric Generating System. The 20-year-old solar plant is the largest currently operating in the world]…The governor signed the legislation on a small wooden desk placed near the rows of mirrors the plant uses to capture energy from the sun. U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, whose agency is leasing public land for energy development, attended [and Salazar noted that he has set up a fast-track approval process for nine solar and three wind projects sought on public land in California]…

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"Energy companies have proposed more than 240 solar, wind and geothermal projects in the state and are seeking approvals from the California Energy Commission and federal Bureau of Land Management. To win federal stimulus dollar that could cover as much as 30 percent of construction costs, the projects must be approved and "shovel ready" by the end of this year."

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"Ed Duggan, executive vice president of Escondido-based wind farm developer Oak Creek Energy, praised the new law. Money from several developers could be pooled for the purchase of bigger and better habitat land, he said…Carl Zichella, a Sierra Club renewable energy director, stopped short of embracing the policy…

"The two leaders and their aides also visited the nearby ruins of a graffiti-scarred feed and farm supply store building that's slated to be part of a 250-megawatt plant. The project, on 1,756 acres of former farm land, is being developed by Abengoa Solar, based in Spain…Scott Frier, Abengoa's chief operating officer… said he would like state officials to find way to also fast-track projects, such as Abengoa's, on privately owned land that isn't home to threatened species, such as the desert tortoise…His company's investment in the project would be $1.2 billion and could qualify for more than $300 million in stimulus dollars, he said."