Mormon Mesa Rally to Stop Industrial Solar Project
^"Save Our Mesa" sign by local high school students, on top of the mesa.
December 13, 2020 - We attended a rally hosted by the communities of Overton and Logandale, Nevada, to show support for Save Our Mesa--a locally organized group that wants to halt the proposed gigantic Battle Born Solar Project from developing the unique landform between the Muddy and Virgin Rivers next to Lake Mead National Recreation Area and overlooking Gold Butte National Monument.
A drone took video of the local high school students at the "M" on the side of the mesa, for Mopa a Valley and Mormon Mesa, then zoomed over different areas as recreationalists dispersed to enjoy a cold Saturday exploring the dirt roads around the large, flat traingular mesa.
We social distanced, wore masks, and stayed in our "pods" in and around our vehicles. A table was placed at the top of the mesa where the main road entered, to sign a petition to Save Our Mesa.
The day was cold with clouds moving overhead, and slow flurries not touching the ground, and the air was clear and the scenery beautiful. Perhaps 200 people came through, many in 4x4 vehicles, ATVs, and side-by-sides to explore the routes and tour the mesa. We waived to the drone overhead and many people held up signs saying "No Solar" here.
A few reporters showed up, and we explianed that Distributed Energy Resources would be the better alterantive than developing public lands. We were given the usual push-back that "rooftop solar is too expensive," and that this public land is cheap for large-scale solar with its economies of scale. We pushed back that rooftop solar has been hampered from acheciving economies of scale by negative policies lobbied by the Investor-Owned Utilities to tamp down Net-Energy Metering. The Nevada Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard of 50% does not even include Distributed Generation for some reason, likely related to the profit margins of utilities.
The day was a reminder of how unique this mesa is, and how many local residents and visitors love to explore the natural beauty of the Mojave Desert.
^Petition table.
^Edge of Mormon Mesa looking over the Virgin River.
^Exploring the mesa on different routes.
^Dispered rally beginning to explore the Mormon Mesa: No Big Solar!
^Small sand dunes below the mesa.
^Mesa edge and the Virgin River.
^Edge of Mormon Mesa overlooking the Virgin River. Snow falls lightly on the Gold Butte National Monument higher peaks.
Our Letter to Governor Sisolak on Battle Born Solar Project
December 4, 2020 - Basin & Range Watch wrote this letter to Nevada's Governor Steve Sisolak over the fast-tracking of the large utility-scale Battle Born Solar Project proposed for public land on Mormon Mesa, Nevada.
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On February 6th, 2020, you wrote a letter to Alex Herggott of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council and requested that the Battle Born Solar Project be a "covered" project under Title 41, Fixing America's Surface Transportation (Fast) Act. You asked that the project be "fast tracked" via the Federal Permitting Dashboard.
You DID NOT ask the people in the communities of Moapa, Logandale and Overton what they think and as it turns out, there is nearly 100 percent opposition to this project. As the Governor of the State of Nevada, you are supposed to listen to the citizens of this state. Instead, you have asked for fast permitting and NEVER reached out to the local community, their town council or even Clark County Commissioners! I am very disturbed that the Governor of Nevada would try to ignore so many of Nevada's citizens.
The Battle Born Solar Project would be 9,200 acres or 14 square miles. It would be built on top of the Mormon Mesa which is a very popular recreation area with local people as well as tourists from all over the world. It has several recreation trails for off road vehicles, horseback riders and hikers. The visitation to the Mesa is an economic benefit to these communities.
The project will also create terrible dust issues which will impact public health and it will be highly visible from the new Gold Butte National Monument which you supported. The project will also kill wildlife and promote the spread of invasive weeds and wildfires.
As the Governor of Nevada, it is your responsibility to talk to the local people of this state - NOT override their concerns and go directly to the Trump Administration for approval. That is not a good way to govern and creates much distrust among the citizens.
I formally request that you come to these communities and discuss this project with the local people before just supporting the developer. That is the right thing to do.
This article discusses community concerns about this project. Please listen to Nevadan's over big solar developers. https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2020/11/30/moapa-valley-residents-fear-solar-plant-will-disrupt-access-andkill-tourism/?fbclid=IwAR0_x08UFFJ-siZPu_zeSog10zyjCgbeXVrklO69je9KDvEtKmgbJGS3FxY
Thank you
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Battle Born Solar Project Meetings Take Place: Mormon Mesa Endangered
^Ricardo Graf, Chief Development Officer and Managing Partner of Arevia Power, proposing to the local community to cover Mormon Mesa with a gigantic solar project. (Photo: Laura Cunningham)
STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES on this ARTICLE: MORE WILL BE WRITTEN
October 29, 2020 - Overton NV - Basin and Rangoi09e Watch attended the town hall meeting in Overton, Nevada, at the community center before the town board. Arevia Solar made a presentation asking the town for support for the 9,200 acre Battle Born Solar Project. It would be located on all public lands on the South Mormon Mesa. It would be so huge, it would close off about half the mesa which is a very popular recreation area. To say the community opposes the project is an understatement. The company brought police escorts, but there was no reason for that.
The project will close off public lands, destroy the scenery (visible from Gold Butte National Monument) and harm wildlife including desert tortoise, Gila monster and several species of birds. Closing off the Mormon Mesa would damage the local ecomomy of the region. Bad idea! (Photo: Laura Cunningham)
^Sunset and moonrise looking over the Virgin River and the Virgin Mountains in Gold Butte National Monument. seen from the South Mormon Mesa. The mesa may get 11 square miles of solar panels on it for the Battle Born Solar Project. The location where this photo was taken may no longer be accessible. (Photo: Kevin Emmerich)
^There appear to be more federally threatened Mojave desert tortoises on Mormon Mesa than expected.
^Edge of Mormon Mesa, a unique fossilized ancient Tertiary landform and calcic soil preserved between the Muddy River and Virgin River. Geologists consider this a rare and possibly endangered soil classification. (Photo: Kevin Emmerich)
^Incredibly beautiful and picturesque view of the Virgin River from the eastern edge of Mormon Mesa, Gold Butte National Monument in the distance. This area needs to be protected from industrial renewable energy development. (Photo: Kevin Emmerich)
^Sunset on the rim of Mormon Mesa, Nevada. (Photo: Kevin Emmerich)
^We have never seen anything like this mesa and cliffs. This geologically significant landform needs to be left alone. (Photo: Kevin Emmerich)
^Gila monster photographed by Lisa Perkins on Mormon Mesa, May 2019. Amazing biodiversity here!
See these articles in the local Moapa Valley Progess: https://mvprogress.com/2020/08/12/save-our-mesa-gains-following
https://mvprogress.com/2020/11/04/m-v-residents-pull-no-punches-on-battle-born-solar-plans/
Proposed Battle Born Solar Project Would Be Largest in US
August 15, 2020 - Overton NV - California-based Arevia Power is proposing a gigantix photovoltaic power plant that would cover 9,180 acres of a 24,000 acre application area located on top of Mormon Mesa near the Moapa River and northern Lake Mead National Recreation Area. That's 14 square miles of beautiful desert.
Like the nearby approved but not-yet contructed Gemini Solar Project, this project is proposed in high-value Mojave desert tortoise connectivity habitat, is relatively undisturbed and pristine desert, and is used for recreational activities on public lands.
Governor Sisolak asked that the Battle Born Solar Project be fast-tracked. Arevia made an initial filing on the project to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada on April 13, and the company has yet to begin the environmental review process with the Bureau of Land Management.
See the article in The Progress.
Larger and Larger Solar Projects Gobbling Up Public Lands Mojave Desert
After 10 years of utlity-scale solar build-out, why are we not using Distributed Energy Resources now instead of bulldozing wildlife habitats?
^Map of project site circled in red. The purple is what the US Fish and Wildlife Service has identified as an area that is very important for the desert tortoise for genetic connectivity. This is considered high quality tortoise habitat outside designated criical habitat, in Variance Zones outside of Solr Energy Zones on BLM lands.
June 25, 2010 - Southern Nevada near Valley of Fire State Park - The Battle Born Solar Project would be built on 9,200 acres (14 square miles) of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It would be located on the Mormon Mesa in Southern Nevada and is in a region that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has determined is a very important linkage/connectivity site for the desert tortoise. This is once again outside of Solar Energy Zones, and is said to be a "grandfathered in" application
We have been following these projects for 12 years now and have a pretty good idea of which applications move and which ones do not. Battle Born has a chance to move forward for the following reasons:
1. The same company, Solar Partners LLC just got the green light to build Gemini Solar Project on 11 square miles of public lands just over 20 miles southwest.
2. Gemini Solar is partially owned by Nevada State Senator Chris Brooks who came to the Nevada Legislature directly from the large-scale solar industry.
3. Brooks works closely with Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak who wrote a letter in February to the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council that would place Battle Born Solar on a fast permitting streamlined status with the Interior Department. Governor Sisolak worked with developers to approve a housing development next to Red Rock National Conservation Area in Southern Nevada when he was a County Commissioner. He is not a conservationist.
4. Solar Partners LLC has lobbied the Interior Department to get Battle Born Solar permitted quickly.
5. The company is working closely with NVEnergy which is buying their power from Gemini Solar.
If this project is approved, the Bureau of Land Management will have allowed this particular company to develop 25 square miles of important desert tortoise habitat regionally. Who would have thought that green solar energy would play such a big part in pushing species towards extinction? The 11 square mile Gemini Solar Project is expected to impact 1,200 tortoises. How many will a 14 square mile project impact?
^Map of the project on a mesa between the Muddy and Virgin Rivers.
^Part of the letter by the Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak requesting a fast tracked status for the project. This will impact 14 square miles of beautiful and remote Mojave Desert on public lands, and Sisolak seems to be supporting the Trump administration in gutting the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and public participation.
Basin and Range Watch will be traveling to this proposed energy development site this summer to record the native vegetation types here in the Mojave Desert, wildlife, and cultural resources on public lands. Stay tuned.
See The Desert Advocate (Mojave Desert Blog) for an excellent summary of this project, and action items: https://www.desertadvocate.org/dirt-roads/2020/6/24/nevada-governor-embraces-trumps-environmental-shortcuts
