Wind Power News: Nevada
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Eight Golden Eagles killed at wind farm near Great Basin Park
Nevada’s first wind energy project, Spring Valley Wind, was built on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands adjacent to Great Basin National Park in a sensitive location for wildlife. Eight golden eagles are known to have been killed at the project, along with many other species of birds since its approval in 2011. Recently obtained FOIA documents show the last 6 eagle kills, which have all gone undetected by the news media and environmental organizations. These 6 eagle deaths, were . . . Complete story »
Transition to “clean energy” is hurting Indigenous communities
When Francisco Calí Tzay, the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous peoples, spoke at the 22nd United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, or UNPFII, last week, he listed clean energy projects as some of the most concerning threats to their rights. “I constantly receive information that Indigenous Peoples fear a new wave of green investments without recognition of their land tenure, management, and knowledge,” said Calí Tzay. His statements – and those made by other delegates – at . . . Complete story »
In-depth: ‘Beyond belief’: Industrial wind developments could threaten fragile desert ecosystem
The scope and size of these projects are mind-boggling. A landmark interregional transmission line project has broken ground this week to carry high-voltage electricity 732 miles from the largest wind farm in North America to Nevada. The TransWest Express Transmission Project (TWE) will take electricity generated by the $5 billion, 3,000 megawatt, 600-turbine Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project (CSMWE) located in Carbon County, Wyoming, to the Market substation in Eldorado Valley, Nevada, which lies within the largely untouched . . . Complete story »
A transition to clean energy was supposed to be equitable. Instead, it’s hurting Indigenous communities.
When Francisco Calí Tzay, the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous peoples, spoke at the 22nd United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, or UNPFII, last week, he listed clean energy projects as some of the most concerning threats to their rights. “I constantly receive information that Indigenous Peoples fear a new wave of green investments without recognition of their land tenure, management, and knowledge,” said Calí Tzay. His statements – and those made by other delegates – at . . . Complete story »
Mojave Desert tribes aim to turn a sacred mountain into a national monument
Of particular concern are 62,371 acres within the proposed monument boundary that have no special protective designations and are vulnerable to mining operations and large-scale wind and solar energy projects. A year ago, the Bureau of Land Management dealt a significant blow to Crescent Peak Renewables LLC, the American subsidiary of Sweden-based Eolus Vind AB, which wants to build a wind farm on 9,100 acres within the proposed monument’s boundaries. The BLM’s Las Vegas office gave the proposed Kulning Wind Energy Project a “low priority” status — a classification indicating that it is unlikely to be authorized. Complete story »
Green energy’s threat to the desert west
About 270 miles south of Dixie Meadows, another “green” energy plan is in the works near the remote Searchlight, Nevada. The Kulning Wind Project ... is massive and would include 68 massive wind turbines spanning 9,300 acres of federal lands on the site of the proposed Avi Kwa Ame (Ah-VEE kwa-meh) National Monument. Like Dixie Meadows, Kulning would greatly impact local wildlife. Complete story »
Climate change demands action, but Nevada activists say not at the cost of species and fragile ecosystems
In the Mojave Desert, Shannon Salter walks past creosote bushes and Mojave yucca, the plant’s spiky, dagger-like leaves sticking up toward the sky. Wearing a heavy down jacket and a floppy hat, she comes up to a fence line and stares at the construction of a project she fought hard to stop. Salter, a poet and part-time teacher, has been camping since October near the Yellow Pine Solar Project, about a 20-minute drive from Pahrump. She was a staunch opponent . . . Complete story »
National monument only one hurdle for proposed wind farm
Momentum is growing for permanent federal protection of a 445,000-acre swath of land near the southernmost tip of Nevada, yet a renewable energy company still wants a piece of the proposed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. Crescent Peak Renewables, LLC, believes that the monument, which it supports, can coexist with its Kulning Wind Energy Project, even though the proposed project has galvanized monument activists to intensify their efforts to protect the region. “In our minds, it’s not one or the . . . Complete story »
National monument proposed for Nevada site sacred to tribes
Efforts toward national monument designation for the much wider area accelerated in recent months, driven by opponents of a big proposed wind farm. Complete story »
Titus proposes national monument around Spirit Mountain
BU.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., is introducing legislation that would turn 450,000 acres of land in Southern Nevada into a national monument. The proposed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument would protect biologically diverse and culturally significant land in the Mojave Desert. The area is south of Searchlight, near the privately owned community of Cal-Nev-Ari. Avi Kwa Ame, or Spirit Mountain, is a site of cultural significance for Native Americans and is the basis of several creation stories. The area features . . . Complete story »