NextEra is a very large energy development company that is gaining a presence in the Morongo Basin, having made an agreement with the Morongo Unified School District to implement solar electricity generation at school sites. At the last Morongo Basin MAC meeting, it encountered resistance to a solar farm at the Joshua Tree Airport site. Reporter Dan Stork reports that NextEra has hit opposition with another large project to the east…
“The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) filed suit against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, alleging that the agency’s hasty approval of a utility-scale solar development near Blythe, violated several federal laws, including the requirement that BLM consult with the Tribes about the project’s impacts to cultural resources.” This report came from a press release from Pyramid Communications, a public relations firm whose clients are largely environmental, educational, and Native American organizations.
According to the release, the 4,000-acre NextEra Energy Resources solar project is slated to begin construction in 2015. It goes on to say that CRIT told the government in the early 1980’s that these areas were sacred and significant. Instead of preserving these areas, the government is approving plans to convert these areas into industrial zones. BLM has told CRIT that the agency will continue to approve renewable energy projects proposed in the 147,810 acre “solar energy zone” near Blythe, which is part of CRIT’s ancestral homelands. CRIT includes four distinct tribes with over 4000 members.
TRIBES SUE BLM OVER NEARBY SOLAR PROJECT
