http://www.americanindianreport.com/
By Michelle Tirado · 11/03/2010 ·
Alternative Energy, Federal Agencies, Law · Tagged: solar
The Quechan Tribe has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior in federal court in San Diego to prevent a major solar project in Imperial Valley from moving forward, as reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune on Nov. 2.
The project, known as the Imperial Valley Solar Project, was approved by the federal government last month. Located 95 miles east of San Diego, the 10-square-mile, 709-megawatt solar farm will provide San Diego Gas & Electric with a significant amount of green power.
The 3,500-member tribe contends that the project will damage archeological sites and wildlife habitat, specifically that of the flat-tailed horned lizard, which has a part in the tribe’s creation stories.
Although the tribe voiced its concerns during the Bureau of Land Management project review, it says they
were “ignored by bureaucrats and not passed on to decision makers.”
The tribe is asking the court to overturn the Interior’s approval as well as for an injunction to keep construction from starting.
“Destruction or damage to any one cultural resource contributes to destruction of the Tribe’s culture, history and religion,” the paper quoted the tribe as saying in the suit.
The project, should it go forward, would create 900 construction jobs and, when complete, would provide power to 213,000 to 531,000 homes (when the sun is shining).
**(this article comes from the American Indian Report, I have enclosed it's web site above)**
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