SAN FRANCISCO — Federal officials approved a plan on Friday that sets aside 445 square miles of public land for the development of large-scale solar power plants, cementing a new government approach to renewable energy development in the West after years of delays and false starts.
At a news conference in Las Vegas, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar called the new plan a ‘‘roadmap . . . that will lead to faster, smarter utility-scale solar development on public lands.’’
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This story points out a huge cost associated with renewable energy projects: They are very land intensive. Ethanol production for cars has diverted much of our prime farmland from food production. Now huge tracts of wildlife habitat will be diverted to solar panel displays. Will Solyndra be revived if Obama gets a second term?
Infrastructure improvement are long term investments. They have a larger initial cost than doing things the cheap (dumb old) way. And, many new companies fail. If there were no new companies because we couldn't abide any failures then there would be no companies at all.
How do 'environmentalists' justify the utter destruction of 500 acres of habitat??!?!? The land under those things is ruined, along with the habitat the critters in those ecosystems need. If anyone else were destroying 500 acres, they would be blockading the place!