Protecting our desert home: Why solar is bad for us
As Pahrumpians, Amargosans, Beattians, and residents of the Amargosa River watershed, we are lucky to call one of the most unique and fragile ecosystems in the world our home. As we all know, our desert landscape is not just an expanse of sand and rock; it’s a vibrant habitat teeming with rare and endangered species found nowhere else on Earth and offers vast and tranquil views like none other. However, the recently approved, BLM Western Solar Plan, threatens to disrupt our rural community and we must take action to stop this detrimental plan.
While the push for renewable energy is essential in combating climate change, not all green initiatives are created equal. The Western Solar Plan aims to open vast swaths of public land for large-scale solar development, including significant portions of our backyard. This approach overlooks the ecological significance of our region and the irreversible damage that industrial solar projects will inflict.
Large solar facilities require extensive land clearing, which leads to habitat loss and fragmentation. This not only displaces wildlife but also disrupts migration patterns and breeding grounds for species already under threat. The Amargosa toad, the Amargosa vole, and numerous rare plant species could face extinction if their habitats are compromised.
Moreover, our desert soils play a crucial role in carbon sequestration. Disturbing these soils can release stored carbon back into the atmosphere, counteracting the very benefits that renewable energy aims to provide. The construction process would also generate dust and pollutants, affecting air quality and impacting our already tenuous health.
Economically, our community relies on eco-tourism and the natural beauty of the desert. Industrializing our landscape will deter visitors, harming local businesses and diminishing our quality of life. The open horizons and star-filled skies we cherish could be replaced with towering panels and constant construction.
There are smarter alternatives. Prioritizing solar development on already disturbed lands, like abandoned mines or brownfields, can achieve energy goals without sacrificing pristine environments. Distributed solar installations on rooftops and urban areas can minimize environmental impact while promoting energy independence.
It’s crucial that we advocate for sustainable solutions that protect both our planet and our rural life. By voicing our concerns, we can urge policymakers to reconsider the Western Solar Plan’s approach and seek energy strategies that respect and preserve our unique desert home.
Let’s stand together to ensure that our pursuit of renewable energy doesn’t come at the cost of the irreplaceable natural treasures right here in our backyard. Supporting and volunteering with organizations like the Amargosa Conservancy (www.amargosaconservancy.org/) and the Basin & Range Watch (www.basinandrangewatch2.org) is great way to help shape this important issue. BUT NOTHING is more important than your direct input to your local, state, and federal elected officials and to the bureaucrats at the Bureau of Land Management.
Kamala Harris apparently is not a stand-up kinda leader
The Al Smith Dinner has been a fun dinner for many years, particularly for presidential candidates. They kinda get roasted and even make some fun of themselves.
From Reagan, both Clintons, to Trump they’ve gone, took ribbing without a problem but Kamala Harris seems to be afraid to go. So tell us “how can she possibly stand-up to people like Putin, Xi, or any other adverse leader of the many dangerous countries?
David Jaronik
Country has never been closer to socialism says reader
There is a reason Trump is being targeted for assassination! We all know who our adversaries and communist countries are and why they do not want Trump to be our next president. We should presume they have already taken advantage of the Biden-Harris open borders policies to prepare if the local Marxist trained radicals don’t succeed!
In 1977 President Carter gave blanket pardons to over 50,000 draft dodgers; little did we realize many would go on to teach our kids Marxist/Socialism ideology. My research reveals there were over 4,000 self-proclaimed Marxist professors in 2017.
Socialism’s toehold originated after the 60s on the college campuses with antiwar activists like Bill Ayers, his wife, Angela Davis, and more becoming college professors to indoctrinate three generations in Marxist ideology. Worse, the Biden-Harris administration wants us taxpayers, (you and me) to pay for this training.
The country has never been closer to socialism or downright communist rule than we are now! Bolshevik Bernie Sanders disguises Marxism as “democratic socialism”, or cradle to grave euphoria provided by the government. Free stuff is an aphrodisiac to many, especially the young!
Having spent 34 years in the Navy training sailors to combat communism I understood the only difference between communism and socialism is with communism the government takes your property and gives you what they think you need to survive; with Socialism the government lets you keep your property and taxes as much as possible so you can maintain the property leaving enough to survive.
Michael Savage’s new book says, “We’ve locked up political prisoners for years without trials and are currently fully engaged in a civil war over the left-wing socialistic agendas, but most are not aware because the shooting has not started yet”. Maybe he needs to drive around Chicago some Saturday night!
Gene Fisher
USN Retired