Wind Power News: Nevada
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch 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.
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 »
BLM deals blow to wind farm competing with would-be monument
The Bureau of Land Management dealt a new setback to energy developers who have long vied to build a wind farm in the Mojave Desert, designating the project “low priority” status. BLM’s Las Vegas Field Office issued its decision in mid-November to Crescent Peak Renewables LLC, the American subsidiary of Sweden-based Eolus Vind AB. Although not an outright rejection, the classification is an indication the project – the Kulning Wind Energy Project proposal – “may not be feasible to authorize,” according to . . . Complete story »
Efforts mount to make this sacred, scenic Nevada treasure a national monument
When the Crescent Peak Wind Project proposal was rejected, the Fort Mojave Indian Council passed a resolution in September 2019 and sent a letter to the Nevada congressional delegation requesting that the area be protected as a national monument. In 2020, national and local conservation groups launched a public awareness campaign to garner support. Efforts to protect the area were renewed early this year when Crescent Peak Renewables LLC submitted another application to the Bureau of Land Management for a 308-megawatt wind farm called the Kulning Wind Energy Project, which would be located nine miles west of Searchlight. Complete story »
Nevada dilemma: Renewable energy or national monument?
For Yuman-speaking Native American tribes, the sprawling desert lands of southern Nevada – home to Joshua tree forest, desert tortoise habitat and migration routes for bighorn sheep – carry historical and cultural significance as their “place of creation.” “This area holds the footprint of our ancestors, and past, present and future generations,” explained Nora McDowell, a former chairperson of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe. But for energy developers, the vast Mojave Desert also represents future potential for wind or solar farms that . . . Complete story »
Push continues to get Avi Kwa’ Ame designated as National Monument
The push continues to get Avi Kwa’ Ame, or Spirit Mountain, which is sacred land, designated as a national monument. One reason why is to prevent certain development on the land. “For about 15 years our town has been fighting large industrial wind energy projects that have been proposed in our area,” said Kim Garrison Means, an advocate for the designation. One energy proposal came over the last few months. Eolus Vind AB, a Swedish wind power developer, pitching the . . . Complete story »
