Dear Editor:
I am writing to remind the community that comments on the proposed Raven Solar project are due to the BLM by March 12. I am opposed because it will negatively impacts antelope.
Already stressed from winter, they are having to expend valuable calories to move around the 600+-acre enclosure of the current Sweetwater solar project. Now the Raven project (400+ acres) is proposed right next to it. The developer also promises he has a “boatload” of projects in the works (his word).
The BLM needs to deny the Raven right of way (and any further solar projects in Wyoming) until they can provide a comprehensive plan, that includes cumulative impacts. Because of the fencing, these projects cause a bigger footprint than any other development, including oil and gas and mining. Somehow the California BLM came up with a plan that accommodated desert tortoises. Surely, we can come up with something that accommodates our wildlife. If they cannot, these projects should not be built.
There are those who argue that this stretch of land is already heavily industrialized. We have trona mining, a CO2 plant, and several gravel pits. A few years ago, a fence was added to this area to keep livestock off the road. All this development happened before we had migration science. The Game & Fish has the data, but the corridor has not been officially designated. That it is critical winter habitat is recognized, even by the BLM.
That the space has already been impacted by prior development should cause us to be especially wary of further impacts. Even the gravel developments provide use to antelope, especially in the winter. While they may not provide food, they do provide a clear respite for them to rest out of the snow. Something they need even more, after having to expend valuable calories going around the massive Sweetwater solar project. The proposed Ciner expansions will only add to the traffic impacts. Wildlife need a place to get off of the road, even if it is just the right of way.
We need a good look at where solar development makes sense before we keep building in places we know have a negative impact on our irreplaceable wildlife. There are ways to build good solar projects (like the one at the airport!) that are a win-win for everyone. But the BLM enabling developers to build where they choose is not in the public’s best interest.
I would like to see a moratorium on industrial solar energy projects until the BLM can come up with a comprehensive plan, and I encourage the Sweetwater Commissioners, Planning and Zoning Commission, and Conservation District to support that. It should be noted that according to the BLM, the long-awaited Resource Management Plan will not address this issue. But the BLM does have the GIS information to fully understand the landscape, and the WGFD can provide a solar protocol that ensures our wildlife are protected. We need a collaborative approach to responsible energy and land use planning.
Submit comments by email to Crystal Hoyt, BLM project director, at choyt@blm.gov.
Thank you,
Michele Irwin
Green River
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