Water at center of objections to Nevada solar farms as 30-day protest period opens

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — Plans for sprawling solar farms in the Mojave Desert northwest of Las Vegas could turn into a war over water needed to build the future power grid.

As a 30-day “protest period” opens on the revised Western Solar Plan issued by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Nye County towns of Beatty, Amargosa Valley and Pahrump are at the center of an emerging fight to defend their communities from planned solar development. About 50,000 people live in the Amargosa River watershed, according to Ashley Lee, board president of the Amargosa Conservancy .

“The Amargosa River watershed is an irreplaceable gem of the Mojave Desert, and we can’t let it be destroyed for industrial energy development,” Lee said.

One of BLM’s goals in crafting the Western Solar Plan is to avoid past patterns of conflict over development, when priorities weren’t clear and the BLM generally approved every project that was proposed.

“The updated Western Solar Plan is a responsible, pragmatic strategy for developing solar energy on our nation’s public lands that supports national clean energy goals and long-term national energy security,” according to BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “It will drive responsible solar development to locations with fewer potential conflicts while helping the nation transition to a clean energy economy, furthering the BLM’s mission to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.”

The plan itself doesn’t constitute approval of any of the projects at the center of the Nye County battle. But once the plan is in place, it will streamline the path to development. To read more on the plan, see the BLM planning page . The plan currently affects six states and could be expanded to cover 11 states.

Instructions for filing a protest with the BLM can be found at: https://www.blm.gov/​programs/​planning-and-nepa/​public-participation/​filing-a-plan-protest and at https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-19478/p-6 .

Kevin Emmerich of the conservation watchdog Basin & Range Watch said the solar industry has already influenced BLM’s path, effectively killing an option that would have prevented large-scale solar development on habitat for endangered species.

“The BLM has become a rubber stamp agency for an industry that requires too much open space to be successful. Every individual solar project has a long track record of impacting multiple natural resources,” Emmerich said.

Conservationists have repeatedly said it’s a matter of where the BLM approves projects — most agree that solar energy is the right way to go.

“We support solar energy as an important part of the clean energy transition, but it can’t come at the expense of our most special places. The communities and endangered species of the Amargosa are vulnerable to the harms that such widespread development would bring,” Lee said.

The biggest potential harm could be 8 billion gallons of water used primarily during construction of the solar power facilities.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, known as the largest remaining oasis in the Mojave Desert, would be surrounded on two sides by solar projects. The refuge is home to four endangered fish species and eight threatened or endangered plant species.

Death Valley National Park could have nearly 40 miles of its border lined with solar projects.

And communities would be forever changed by the neighboring solar farms.

“With household incomes well below the national and regional average, and a legacy of toxic waste pollution, these are the definition of environmental justice communities,” according to an Amargosa Conservancy news release on Thursday. “Under this plan, some areas designated for solar come right up to hundreds of peoples’ homes and fence lines.”

The conservancy argues that the Western Solar Plan doesn’t safeguard residents from the impacts ahead.

“The communities of the Amargosa River watershed have made themselves quite clear: They do not want these projects in direct proximity to their homes as observed at the last town hall meeting,” Lee said. “There are better ways to site these projects to minimize impacts to communities and biodiversity, but this plan falls short.”

A possible solution could lie in partnerships, the conservancy said. Agricultural operations that are already threatened by declining groundwater could be converted to solar use. Retiring water rights on those lands would provide a potential win-win for solar development, conservation efforts and communities.

“Have the BLM thought about exploring unique opportunities, such as a public-private partnership with landowners in the Amargosa, as part of this plan?” Lee asked. “We’re concerned that the revision of the Western Solar Plan seems to continue with the usual approach, and we’re concerned that without more careful consideration, the communities and biodiversity of the Amargosa River watershed might be negatively impacted.”

Emmerich cited the past failures of solar development. “Solar energy has removed close to 100,000 acres of habitat for the desert tortoise, making it one of the biggest threats to the species. We have so much space on rooftops and previously disturbed land for solar panels that public lands should be the absolute last resort for this kind of development,” he said.

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