Renewable Energy

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Clearly the ambitious programs now being debated to transition to sustainable energy sources will have positive effects on the environment; reducing the use of coal will (hopefully) slow climate change, and limiting the use of natural gas will prevent additional surface damage associated with extraction activities. But every means of energy production comes at some cost, and the enormous wind and solar production facilities and the transmission networks that will be needed will have substantial impacts on the landscape. The amount of energy needed to replace or even supplement non-renewable sources at regional scales can only be generated where there are large areas of open space (hundreds of square miles). In the West, nearly all of the remaining open space is publically owned, and much of it is in or near National Park lands.

Consequently, the NPS is rightly becoming concerned with the level of pressure that may soon be brought to bear to subject these areas to large-scale energy development.

For example, while solar energy produces virtually no greenhouse gases, large solar arrays do require water for cooling. And where the most sun shines and solar energy collection is most efficient (the desert) is also where there is the least amount of water. Drawing water for solar facilities from desert groundwater resources that are already overtaxed could have devastating effects on desert biological resources such as fish, amphibians, birds and mammals that depend on scarce water supplies for survival.

Energy corridors could also have significant impacts on NPS and other public lands. In 2005 the Bush Administration (DOE) proposed the establishment of corridors that are 2/3-mile wide and that would allow transmission infrastructure for oil, gas, natural gas and electricity across all of the western states, resulting a cumulative area of over 6000 square miles. The proposed plan would allow corridors to be established adjacent to the boundaries of Arches and Joshua Tree National Parks and Mojave National Preserve.

The NPS should be vigilant that any proposals for energy development, both renewable and non-renewable, be strictly evaluated for impacts to cultural and natural resources, and that an array of alternatives be considered in all cases. In an effort to protect pristine desert areas from energy development impacts, Senator Dianne Feinstein in March 2009 proposed the establishment of additional desert lands in Southern California as a National Preserve area that would protect important resources from future energy development. While the Coalition supports the increased use of renewable and sustainable energy resources, we also urge the Obama Administration to carefully consider the best ways to develop these resources while protecting the unique biodiversity and cultural history of the National Parks.