Posted on 08/21/2012 3:34:51 PM PDT by EBH
We Can’t Wait: Obama Administration Announces Seven Major Renewable Energy Infrastructure Projects that Would Power 1.5 million Homes to be Expedited
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, as a part of his We Can’t Wait initiative, President Obama announced that seven nationally and regionally significant solar and wind energy projects will be expedited, including projects in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Wyoming. Together, these job-creating infrastructure projects would produce nearly 5,000 megawatts (MW) of clean energy – enough to power approximately 1.5 million homes, and support the President’s all-of-the-above strategy to expand American made energy. As a part of a Presidential Executive Order issued in March of this year, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with overseeing a government-wide effort to make the permitting and review process for infrastructure projects more efficient and effective, saving time while driving better outcomes for the environment and local communities. Additional expedited infrastructure projects will be announced in the coming weeks.
“As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above strategy to expand domestic energy production and strengthen the economy, we are working to advance smart development of renewable energy on our public lands,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “These seven proposed solar and wind projects have great potential to grow our nation’s energy independence, drive job creation, and power economies across the west.”
The renewable energy projects announced today build on the Obama Administration’s record of success in permitting an unprecedented number of utility-scale renewable energy projects. Thanks to a coordinated and focused review process, in the past three years, the Department of the Interior has approved more utility-scale renewable energy projects on public lands than in the past two decades combined – a total of 31 new projects. When constructed by the companies, these projects are expected to generate enough renewable energy to power 2.3 million American homes.
Mohave Wind Energy (BP Wind) State: AZ Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: January 2013 The proposed Mohave County Wind Farm is a wind-powered electrical generation facility that would be located on approximately 38,099 acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and 8,960 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Reclamation in Mohave County, Arizona. If approved, it would produce up to 425 MW of wind energy and help the state of Arizona meet its targets for renewable energy.
Quartzsite Solar Energy (Solar Reserve) State: AZ Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: December 2012 The proposed concentrating solar power plant would be located on approximately 1,675 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It would produce an estimated 100 MW of clean energy – enough to power about 30,000 homes – and help the State of Arizona meet its renewable energy goals.
Desert Harvest Solar Energy (enXco) State: CA Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: December 2012 The proposed Desert Harvest Solar Energy project would utilize photovoltaic technology on approximately 1,200 acres in Riverside County, California. The project would produce an estimated 150 MW of solar energy, enough to power about 45,000 homes.
McCoy Solar Energy (NextEra) State: CA Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: December 2012 This proposed solar photovoltaic array would be situated on 4,893 acres in Riverside County, California. It would produce an estimated 750 MW of solar energy – enough clean energy to power 225,000 homes – while helping the State of California meet its targets for renewable energy.
Moapa Solar Energy Center (RES Americas) State: NV Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: December 2013 This solar project is being developed in cooperation with the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians on a 2,000 acre site on the Moapa River Indian Reservation and on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management in Clark County, Nevada. If approved, the 200 MW project would employ 100 MW of photovoltaic technology and 100 MW of concentrated solar power technology. Once constructed, this proposed project would be one of the first large-scale solar projects on tribal lands in the U.S.
Silver State South (First Solar) State: NV Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: March 2013 The Silver State South Solar Energy project is a solar energy generation plant proposed on 13,043 acres of public land. If approved, it would produce an estimated 350 MW of clean energy utilizing photovoltaic technology– enough to power approximately 105,000 homes – and help the State of Nevada meet its renewable energy goals. Construction on the 50 MW Silver State North project has been completed, making it the first solar project on public lands to be delivering power to the grid.
Chokecherry/Sierra Madre Wind Energy (Power Company of WY) State: WY Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: October 2014 The proposed Chokecherry and Sierra Madre project, located on approximately 230,000 acres in Carbon County, Wyoming, could produce up to 3,000 MW of wind energy – enough to power over 1 million homes. The Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Farm Project is the largest proposed wind farm in North America. The project, as currently configured, avoids critical sage-grouse habitat identified as “Sage-Grouse Core Areas.” Chokecherry is a multi-tiered decision process that includes a land use plan decision anticipated in October 2012, followed by review of a series of right-of-way applications through 2014.
How much money????
Looking at the 3 Executive Orders issued in March 2012,
Executive Order 13602
Establishing a White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities
Executive Order 13603
National Defense Resources Preparedness
Executive Order 13604
Improving Performance of Federal Permitting and Review of Infrastructure Projects
The only one that carries a presidential override for ‘we can’t wait’ is 13603, the National Defense Resources Preparedness order. You all thought I was crazy when I said he would do this. That little phrase change, “in peacetime and times of emergency” changed everything.
Calling it “clean energy” doesn’t make it clean in reality, any more than calling taxes “revenue” makes it real income. Fact is that solar arrays are huge water hogs and subject to corrosion as well as ruining the fragile desert environment, and much the same goes for the bird-killing eyesores called wind farms. Both types of energy generation are net energy losers and environmental degraders with big carbon footprints.
Other than that it’s all hunky dory.
Oops...Bad math...closer to 300,000 acres.
Also known as multi-billion dollar giveaways to political donors.
LaHood: ‘I’m very proud’ of DOT stimulus spending at $738,000 per job [VIDEO]
“Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.”-Will Rogers
I have come to believe these Renewable Energy Infrastructure Projects are basically fronts to laundry money back to the DNC...
HUGE opportunity here!!!
add your own...
Solyndra...we just didn’t invest enough!!!
and the next...
and the next...
WE JUST DIDN’T “INVEST” ENOUGH!!!
He is doing it through EXECUTIVE ORDERS!
Don't forget the Chinese. They're about the only ones making photovoltaic panels anymore.
Oops, my bad. You already said political donors
For the last 4 years we have witnessed the greatest theft in history and yes it did begin under Bush II but it was forged on Capitol Hill.
Get used to it. Unless he is removed from office he will continue to rule with exec orders. Even with a Republican House and Senate...he will just veto everything and rule by fiat either by exec orders or through his CZARS who have been empowered by the failure of the congress to exert their power. Now they have NONE and it is unlikely that there will ever be a 2/3 majority for override. USA is going the way of Germany, Russia, China, N.Korea etc..etc...etc. unless this Marxist is dethroned. Imagine what the SCOTUS will look like in 4 years.
“Sh&t!”, cried the King. And a movement came over the nation. For in those days, the King’s word was law.
Don’t know about that....but one of them has a $600 million dollar capital cost investment...
254,000 acres of bird-killer wind turbines and grotesque solar panels. “Renewable energy” is low yield, land defacing, costly and not cost effective. Perhaps this is just another Solyndra; A money laundering scheme for the Chicago machine.
This is his big election year iniative that he can trumpet on the campaign trail?
Shovel-ready Solyndra? Realllllly?!?
The man never learns. In this case, thank God, he never learns!
Yep.
And he’ll get 2% or so in donations back from this for the campaign.
Boehner stinks, but the House of Reps has not impeached Chairman Obama because we do not demand it.
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