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Friday, Feb. 12, 2010 | 2 a.m.
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Hundreds of out-of-work Las Vegas construction workers have been waiting for a chance to start building a giant solar plant in California, just southwest of Primm, but San Bernardino County officials’ objections are putting those jobs on hold if not jeopardizing them entirely.
The project’s problems may serve as a preview of the hurdles that other solar plants planned for Southern Nevada will have to clear.
San Bernardino County’s Board of Supervisors filed a formal objection Thursday to the Ivanpah Solar project planned for 4,000 acres of federal land about 5 miles south of the Primm Golf Course. Officials complained the solar plant would financially harm the county, reduce the quality of life and not provide enough jobs for San Bernardino residents.
Because California gives tax breaks to solar developers, the county won’t get much revenue from the project. The land and mirrors that the plant would use are exempt. At best, the county could get some revenue from the tower used to generate steam for electricity and outbuildings, says Andy Silva, spokesman for county Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, an outspoken opponent of the project.
Although the plant is expected to create about 1,000 short-term construction jobs and about 85 long-term jobs, most of the workers are expected to come from Las Vegas and Primm, so most of the $250 million in wages would be spent in Nevada. The California town closest to the site is Baker. It’s about the same distance from the site as Las Vegas is, but with Baker’s population of about 1,000, it’s unlikely many would fit the bill for jobs at the plant.
San Bernardino County also would lose property tax revenue because of mitigation requirements.
The plant’s developer, BrightSource Energy, has agreed to purchase 12,000 acres in the county and turn them over to the federal government to offset the loss of desert habitat caused by its development. This would cause the county to lose the land’s tax revenue. Economic growth would be limited because the land would be off-limits to development.
The county is still trying to put a number on its projected net loss, Silva says.
BrightSource is not the only developer planning to build in San Bernardino. Several very large solar energy projects are planned there, and BrightSource’s mitigation plan is expected to be the norm for most or all of the renewable energy projects proposed.
“If they all have to do that 3-to-1 mitigation ratio, you could be looking at locking up the entire desert,” Silva says.
The objection could be a game changer for BrightSource. The county does not have the authority to nix the project, but it could pressure the Bureau of Land Management or California Energy Commission to change the mitigation plan or reduce the size of the project.
That would be another setback for BrightSource, which had a major project in that area tabled because Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., wanted the land for a recreation area.
The Ivanpah project has faced other challenges. It was slated to begin construction by now, but that was delayed because the BLM and California Energy Commission asked for major changes. The environmental impact statements raised concerns about major habitat loss for rare plants and animals on wide swaths of land.
The company released new plans to shrink the project’s footprint by 12 percent, reduce the electricity generating towers from seven to three and install tens of thousands fewer mirrors to avoid the most sensitive areas. Construction is expected to begin by the third quarter of this year.
Silva says county officials don’t want to see Ivanpah Solar, or any solar project in San Bernardino, canceled. But they also don’t want any of these projects to be detrimental to the county.
“This is the first megaproject out of the gate, and the whole industry is watching this,” Silva says. “The state and federal governments are overseeing this, but we’re going to get the impacts, and we want to make sure there’s a net benefit.”
They would like to see the mitigation plan changed. Instead of BrightSource buying up private land, the county would like the government to allow the developer to write a check to existing habitat preservation and tortoise protection programs on public land.
Officials would also like solar developers to pay for the increased support services near their development. The closest San Bernardino County fire station is 40 miles from the planned site. The county would like the developers to pay building costs for one closer to the plant.
BrightSource representatives were unavailable to comment Thursday because of corporate board meetings, but spokesman Keely Wachs says the company is addressing all the concerns through the public comment process as intended under the Environmental Protection Act.
“We’re having very productive conversations with the county about how to maximize economic development opportunities around the Ivanpah project, and we share their concerns around the amount of land required for mitigation,” Wachs says.
Although some of the objections the Ivanpah solar project has faced are unique to its site, it could be a harbinger of things to come in Nevada. The Ivanpah project is the first large-scale solar project on BLM land to get this far and some of the same environmental, economic and community effects could become problems in Searchlight or Beatty.
If a developer in Amargosa Valley, for example, was required to purchase private land to offset the footprint of a solar array, such a purchase could eat up farmland, reducing county and state tax revenue.
Nevadans have wrangled over whether the short-term jobs and boost in ego from becoming the alternative energy capital of the U.S. would be worth losing a lot of the state’s desert to solar arrays and transforming its mountaintops with wind turbines. Rural residents fear for their water supplies, scenic views and livelihoods. Off-roaders fear losing recreational areas.
Nevada, like San Bernardino County, will soon be weighing the losses and benefits.
“For people who live in the desert, it’s a lifestyle issue as much as a money issue,” Silva says. “Whether you’re a Sierra Club member or off-roader, you’re out there because you love the desert and want to be able to enjoy it, and we’re afraid (solar plant mitigation) could restrict that multiuse on this land.”
Anytime you have California involved in something, it gets screwed up. That land in Primm is good for tooling around on an ATV, raising dust. That's it. No wonder Cali is broke. Good. I'm sure they're worried about the desert tortoise, too. Can you imagine trying to build the mag-lev through there? May they rot in Hell....
"we want to make sure there's a net benefit" says it all...
It's crazy in a country as vast as ours that people are quibbling over things like off-roader areas.
But, that's just a diversion. Someone wants to get paid for this and is mad that they got left out, or God forbid, no one person makes money off this project, but instead everyone in the area gets a more stable, diversified and sustainable energy grid and lots of unemployed workers get to go back to work.
I say to blazes with California! This is where Harry Reid and our other elected so called leaders should be stepping up to the plate and move this project into Nevada, and open our doors of hospitality to Bright Source Energy Corp. and do whatever is necessary to give this project top priority! No scaling back should even have to be considered! The problem is unfortunately Gibbons and Reid are just not up to the task, and this opportunity will slip away like so many others. So much for diversity in Nevada economic engines...
This is only the beginning, they're claiming loss of income and basing it on jobs, next the nut case California lunatic liberals will be claiming some sort of environmental issue to further their sick agenda all in the name of the all mighty buck lining the pockets of some liberal base political action committee.
Sit back and wait, liberals sick agenda comes with a price, pay off the lunatic liberals first and the project will progress, no money, no project. When will America wake up and realize what the Democratic Party stands for is one big lie, everything they claim to stand for is for sale, only money exchanges from proprietor into their pocket books will they have instant acceptance. Next will be the high speed rail; this project will be yet another victim, the private funding source will be drained into the coffers of some environmental group and lawyers filing suits claiming something about the environment and we'll never see this project built.
The Democrats don't want to see America recover and people to become self reliant and self supportive, they want American's to remain broke and become codependent upon them.
Screw San Bernandino, move it to our side! As if the envirowhackos are not bad enough,this is rediculous! The desert is mostly crap, if you think it is beautiful then you need to get away more! Saving a few tortoises vs. what global warming is doing is a no-brainer. Yet it seems the envirowhackos have no brains!
The environwackos are something else. Don't drive your SUV as it burns too much gas, don't burn fossel fuels to create electricity, plant more trees, use renewable energy, don't drill. But when someone tries to use renewable energy, the wackos are still not satisfied. Do they even know what they want or are they just say no to everything? I'm getting sick and tired of these nut jobs. What do they want. And for San Bernardino to be worried about making money off of this is just nuts also. Either you California wackos want renewable energy or you don't - make up your mind and quit wasting everybodies time and effort.
This is a "dry" lake bed that floods. Of course there are already 2 golf courses in the area anyway. These solar facilities would be better located in cities, and incorporated into commercial buildings and parking lot structures. Put solar panels over I5 for instance. The transmission lines won't be as much of an issue as well.
Oh my God I can't beleive I agree with Environprotector, Reid or even Obama better step in this one, I don't understand this is a no- brainer people could be working right now. I hope Bright source does not decide to go somewhere else?
San Bernardino County stands to lose a lot of revenue if this project goes through as is. So that would explain why they put the brakes on this project.
For instance 12,000 acres in the form of private land will be removed from the county's tax rolls and turned over to the federal gubbermint due to a 3 to 1 mitigation program created by the eco whackos. That by itself will be a huge financial hit.
The new solar power plant could make up the loss in revenue to the county but that will add to the overall operating cost.
I wonder if the eco whackos would consider changing the 3 to 1 mitigation program to help lessen the impact to San Bernardino County ?
If the Peoples Republic of California doesn't want this project, Put it on Mormon Mesa to replace the jobs killed by pinko reid at Yucca Mountain.
Countless wind farms have been proposed and than quickly forgotten about after they get a look at the eco whacko requirements.
I guess eco whacko requirements and poison pills have a lot in common.
"Although the plant is expected to create about 1,000 short-term construction jobs and about 85 long-term jobs, "
This is pure BS.
If one looks at similar solar plants of the same size.
It probably will create a few hundred jobs at the height of the construction.
It will create about 20 or so full time jobs.
When will this newspaper become an actual newspaper and stop hyping stuff to push agendas.
Why is that everytime a liberal idea comes to fruition, liberals are the ones to complain about it. Meaning, no wind farms near Martha's Vineyard or anywhere they can be seen....now no solar panels in Sunny South California because there won't be enough money in it.
I thought it was all about saving the planet, which we all know now has been a big farce the whole time. duh.
Bottom line - it has always been about money. Whatever scheme a politician can come up with to get more.
BTW - if I were a mayor or governor of Nevada, alot of the open space in the Nevada Desert would be covered in solar panels. I'm not big on solar, but hey - where there is a lot of sun, I say why not. Create jobs, make deals, get it done and do something positive for the people and business alike.
HMMMN! HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO THE IVAN AREA?
THE BIGGEST ATTRACTION IN THE AREA IS WATCHING THE SAND SHIFT OR A CLOUDY DAY
lol...the liberal kingdom of california screws up again.
you liberals can't have it both ways.
you can't tell us not to drill in alaska and then not let us have solar plants.
You can have the hammer, or the money, but you can't have both.
Rooftop solar panels. I'd let a company install them on my roof so long as I get a portion of the energy they generate. They don't have to buy land or deal with the enviro-wackos, and I save money on my monthly bill. Win-win.
It is the site of sand sailing, at least the other side of the freeway.
Solar power still isn't economically feasible. If the only objective is to get people employed, there are better ways to spend the money (right now solar power isn't cost effective so the only real argument is to make it a work program).
I say execute everyone in California and then they won't have to worry about jobs, environment, or whatnot. It wouldn't be much of a loss for the country.
"You can have the hammer, or the money, but you can't have both."
Nice one Boris.
This is the fault of the California lunatic liberals? Anybody who knows anything about California knows the liberal counties are the nice ones that everybody wants to live in. i.e. the coastal counties. The inland counties nobody wants to live in are all republican.
Take a look at their board of supervisors. Brad Mitzelfelt is doing PR events with Karl Rove. Neil Derry is a republican that works for southern california edison (their power company).
This is a republican shakedown, not lunatic liberal insanity.
The 3 to i mitigation program is looney liberal work at it's finest, and that mr vegasengineer is why this project is now on hold
"I say execute everyone in California and then they won't have to worry about jobs, environment, or whatnot. It wouldn't be much of a loss for the country."
Yea, that'll work - kill the goose that laid the golden Vegas egg...you think Vegas is hurting now...try getting rid of all the Californian's who come over there every day of the week to party and play. It's the Californian's who keep Vegas alive, so good one...kill us all...
"Rooftop solar panels. I'd let a company install them on my roof so long as I get a portion of the energy they generate. They don't have to buy land or deal with the enviro-wackos, and I save money on my monthly bill. Win-win."
Are you taking about a big commerical building or your house?
If it is your house, what is the name of this company?
Just kidding. Sorry. Execute the libs only.
Public lands should not be treated like a commodity or a potential for revenue making, neither for taxes or private ventures. Everything should not be measured in dollars. What a sick way of thinking.
The county doesn't know how much the property tax on 12,000 acres of desert wasteland is, but they do know they want a new fire station and a cut of the revenue generated from the plant.
But it's a mitigation issue? riiight.
I have a hard time believing that when one of the board of supervisors works for a corporation that has a direct interest in keeping competitors costs high. If this was about property tax, they would have stated a dollar amount in their formal objection.
There is a major mistake in this article. The author says that this will cost construction jobs from Vegas residents. This was never the case. Bright Source has agreed to keep all the construction jobs in California. The fact is none will go to Nevadans. Only Californians will be hired.
It is also kind of sad to see Las Vegas people tell a county in another state they have no right to be vocal on land use plans in their county...
34 comments so far, and all seem to agree San Bernado County is wrong in attempting to block this solar project. As I see it, if this is truly federal land, they can do with it whatever they want to do. San Berdino has no claim to the desert. And if a solar project of this size would provide clean renewal energy - which is Washington's goal - then lets do it. We pull eminent domain on things we should not; hoever, in this case there is no such claim. The land belongs to the federal government. And San Berdnadino is not doing anything to improve the land, anyway.
ONLY POLITICIANS are at issue here. ONLY MONEY is at issue. ONLY Back-Door PRIVATE INTERESTS are at issue. Politicans do what they do for ideological reasons, or to for special interest groups. They also do things for personal reasons. What is San Bernadino's hidden agenda? Will it withstand scrutiny?
This energy source will power thousands of businesses and homes. Is that not the "best use" of this real estate? Is someone conerned about the ability of a turtle to walk around a solar panel stand. Don't turtles and other animals walk around rocks and trees?
There are no arguments the San Bernadino can bring that can withstand the logic for doing something to benefit the public good. I thought we had a goal to become energy independent in this country. Has that changed, again?
To PRECLUDE issues like this coming to bear, maybe Congress ought to establish an AGENCY to look out for the RIGHTS OF PEOPLE. Then, laws would be written to protect US first, and not other interests.
problem is. Politicans do as they want for ideology, or to impress voters.
California screws everything up. Nevada should take on this issue. I am sure they will find Nevada as a more hospitable environment to conduct business. They will actually be welcomed in our state.
Isn't this the same county that last week their county assesor was arrested for taking bribes and when they arrested him he was also in possession of cystal meth...That explains alot about San Bernardino County O'ya they got 6 more people on the hit list for that mess..
I agree with the idea of relocating the project within Nevada. Plenty of open area between Vegas and Primm to place the project.
Build it tween Primm and Vegas? Like the eco thugs will let that happen, example; the Ivanpoe airport.
We have to remember that California has water shortage problems, just like Nevada. So Cali goes ahead, and builds a small desalination plant near Santa Barbara, to see if it might be feasible for the rest of the state. But then, the California Coastal Commission steps in, and says that the water intakes might harm the little fishies. And the project died, along with several other proposed plants.
Ed Begley and all the other green fruit loops control the state, and there is little we can do. Pitiful...
Let's see, many many people out of work, everyone looking for a job and everyone including our government wants alternative energy. gee, looks like someone is trying to do just that, only problem, calif. is only concerned about Calif. and someone isn't getting paid, most likely the power utility company who will lose out on some electricity. Darn, why build it in Calif. as if Nevada doesn't have enough land. Recreational users of the land, guess with all their high powered quads, they don't need jobs but would do anything to stop progress and putting people to work so they can fly over the sand, kill off some kinda of important plant and darn, turtles look out. I think anyone who reads this article can now begin to understand why america is in such dire straits. Oh, yea, the turtles, guess they didn't care about turtles when they widened I-15 did they. One of these days Americans, the real ones, will stand up and say enough of this crap is enough. Lets C, stop the Colorado river, no electricty coming through the damn, Lake Meade drys up, oooooh more quad flying, no electricity, whatca gonna do then calif and Nevada, ooooh call on the quad recreational user, they got enough money, but heh, they got no electricity either. Oh, just hang it all up and sent over a couple billion dollars more to the arabs.
This is what is wrong with this country.We have so many people that want to have a problem with everything If one group is happy but the other is not.I say to heck with San Bernadino County
Let their dust bowl of a county rot and put the plant where they are welcome but crap where is welcome.Bringit to Nevada and our wackos will come out of the wood work.
Right now we need jobs and alot of them but I will say one thing a few is better than none but the liberal moroons can not figure that out.
May we all reflect on The Liberal generation and see what they have really done but create more drama.Scream for this law but then say we are not going to get anything out of this because of the same law they screamed. Sounds like a big goofy circus to me.Get a life and quit crying about this that and the other
Well it looks like So California just asked us to bend down and pick up the soap.
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A lot of these comments show that people are not understanding what this technology is.
These are concentrating solar facilities which consist of a field of mirrors and a central tower which the sunlight is focused on. There are NO "SOLAR PANELS" involved here and you CANNOT operate one on the roof of other buildings.
Additionally, unlike solar photovoltaics ("SOLAR PANELS") which are only ~15% solar-to-electricity efficient and use very expensive materials (doped semiconductors) solar thermal facilities are ~50% solar-to-electricity efficient AND use much cheaper simple mirrors to produce electricity using the well-known Rankine Cycle (boiling water for steam turbines).
Finally, the technology has been proven at these high efficiencies in two test facilities in Spain, PS-10 and PS-20 (10 and 20 MW facilities), where the solar resource is LESS high quality than in the California desert. We need to catch up.
Indeed these plants would be very efficient and economic for where they are planned.