Feinstein: Don't Spoil Our Desert With Solar Panels

[KittenKoder]

Desert Tortoises don't need to look for shade on hot summer days. They spend most of their lives underground in estivation, only waking up every one or two years when it rains.

I really wish the media would publicize the opinions of desert ecologists instead of the opinions of politicians.

People are too comfortable ignoring where they don't like to live. They'll die or kill each other to protect some cute fluffy bunny ... but heavens forbid they consider saving a reptile in the desert. It sucks ... environuts think they have all the answers while ignoring 90% of the world.

 

[billyerock]

There's PLENTY of dessert out there.

Why must these things be put on CONSERVATION land?

Or are you all just choosing to ignore the one truly germane part of this story because it is inconvenient for your Republican whiny assed points of view?

Um ... actually I am not Republican and I don't think it's a good idea to use desert any more than forest for this. The desert has an ecosystem that is just as easily harmed by such things. This is why "green" freaks are so ignorant, they see that only areas with green in them as being natural and pure. Hate to break it to you but deserts have just as much life in them and are just as important to the environment as any forest.

hate to break it to you ... solar cells do not pollute nor does wind generators nor do they destroy habitat

 

[dilloduck]

There's PLENTY of dessert out there.

Why must these things be put on CONSERVATION land?

Or are you all just choosing to ignore the one truly germane part of this story because it is inconvenient for your Republican whiny assed points of view?

Um ... actually I am not Republican and I don't think it's a good idea to use desert any more than forest for this. The desert has an ecosystem that is just as easily harmed by such things. This is why "green" freaks are so ignorant, they see that only areas with green in them as being natural and pure. Hate to break it to you but deserts have just as much life in them and are just as important to the environment as any forest.

hate to break it to you ... solar cells do not pollute nor does wind generators nor do they destroy habitat

I wonder why they don't just cover Cental Park with them then ?

 

[billyerock]

Shogun ... proof you don't know much, glaring at us right there. The desert is an important part of the ecosystem of he world, just because you think it's ugly doesn't mean it's worthless. Look into what it does for the world and how much of an impact it would have to absorb all the energy that the sands reflect, all the life you would destroy, and all the other benefits the desert offers us as a species.

heres a big surprise solar panels doesn't effect the ecosystem nor does wind generators ...

 

[dilloduck]

Shogun ... proof you don't know much, glaring at us right there. The desert is an important part of the ecosystem of he world, just because you think it's ugly doesn't mean it's worthless. Look into what it does for the world and how much of an impact it would have to absorb all the energy that the sands reflect, all the life you would destroy, and all the other benefits the desert offers us as a species.

heres a big surprise solar panels doesn't effect the ecosystem nor does wind generators ...

If they don't produce any effect on an ecosystem then why bother? ( BTW--they DO effect the ecosystem ) Cover your back yard with solar panels and tell me how you lawn does this year .

 

[KittenKoder]

LOL ... Dillo is on the ball.

"They don't impact the eco system," nice environazis lie there. Anything you build impacts the ecosystem where you build it. Most desert dwelling species are burrowers, in case you don't know what that is, they live UNDER the sand during the day and come out at night. Two things will impact this and kill millions of species off in the desert, first, when do humans build things: in the day. Do you think they will spend the extra money to be sure there isn't anything in the land they are digging? Yeah, sure. Secondly the species that live in the desert are designed to live in a specific amount of space, like all species, it's the same effect, as Dillo said, if you would build them in say Yellowstone or Central Park.

As I said, envirnazis will ignore 90% of science and the world just to scam us all.

 

[solar_energy]

California Solar Energy Industries Association supports the widespread adoption of solar thermal and photovoltaic systems by educating consumers, supporting solar legislation and conducting business in a professional and ethical manner.

CALSEIA is the CALifornia Solar Energy Industries Association.

CALSEIA was founded in 1977. It is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors elected by the membership.

CALSEIA’s mission is to expand the use of all solar technologies in California and establish a sustainable industry for a clean energy future calseia.org



Companies who join CALSEIA are doing business in California or supplying products to California companies. The policies and programs in California affect their livelihoods.

CALSEIA is funded by memberships through annual membership dues

CALSEIA activities

* Enact Legislation: to encourage removal of barriers and policies that help provide an open and competitive market
* Create and/or Modify Regulations: to promote safety, durability, and a competitive market
* Create and/or Maintain Incentives: to build the market to a size that allows the installed cost of solar energy to compete with non-renewable energy resources
* Ethics: to encourage the ethical conduct of companies participating in the solar market. CALSEIA is not a law enforcement organization but it can provide resources to assist people to find the appropriate law enforcement organization.
* Codes and Standards: to ensure safety and reliability and to standardize requirements to reduce costs and improve construction efficiency

Types of Companies that are members of CALSEIA

Manufacturers, Contractors, Distributors, Engineers, Designers, Consultants, Utilities, Educational organizations, Local Governments

Types of solar technologies represented by CALSEIA

* Solar thermal – for water heating, process heat, electric generation, cooling, space condition for residential and commercial applications
* Solar electric (photovoltaic) – for electric generation on homes, businesses, and to the utility
* Concentrating solar – for electric generation, process heat, and cooling
* Solar pool heating – for recreational, athletic, municipal, and therapeutic pools in commercial, residential, and municipal pools

 

[Old Rocks]

Or we can live in reality where our CURRENT President is against Nuclear energy, and the democrats in Congress are against nuclear. A President that plans to bankrupt the coal fired power plants and gas fired plants as well as natural gas. Is against Nuclear and insists GREEN is the wave of the future.

And then we get his own party ensuring no green gets built in any meaningful manner anywhere at all.

Great attempt at deflections though.

Pondering pointing out your huge and very visible mistake or letting someone else do it just for laughs ....









Aah hell, I never liked the pop star of a president, never will, never voted for him, and don't agree with anything he has offered yet ...

... clear enough fo you?



I'll be laughing at this idiotic post of RGS' for a loooong time now.

And yet your previous post was nothing more than a blatant attempt to run interference for this administration. Once again you stupid shit, OBAMA and the Democrats are opposed to Nuclear, and you and your couple friends do not change that. He has STATED he is against Nuclear as has the leadership of the Congress. He has STATED in plans to bankrupt Coal plants and that he intends to rape gas and natural gas plants as well.

And what do we get? We get HIS party, you know, the DEMOCRATS, opposing all efforts to create GREEN energy. No wind and no solar.

And we have you claiming otherwise.

Complete bullshit, RGS. I am for nuclear, particularly the fourth and fifth generation nuclear that is on the drawing boards. That changes not one whit that the cost of nuclear is skyhigh, and the building time a decade.

What I am not for is the situation like Three Mile Island.

That Feinstein does not want solar on that particular area is something that I will have to look into. Of course, we have a section of Oregon that has wind, solar, and geothermal potential and would be glad to export power if we could get a grid into that area.

 

[KittenKoder]

Three Mile Island was a fluke, unlike Chernoble which was poorly maintained ancient technology (the fault of their government at the time). Our current nuke plants are excellent, and have less than a 10% of meltdown, even if they did have a meltdown their precautions for such an event would prevent any serious damage. Unlike coal, which has a 30% chance of explosion and no way to contain the damage to the environment, no matter how advanced the technology gets. As for solar, wind, etc. (not geothermal, which is actually a decent alternative just rare), they cause more harm than most people are willing to acknowledge, even in the desert which has a delicate ecosytem like any other location. They are still far behind and would require way too much space (the primary impact on the ecosystems). Not only above ground but also below, which in the desert causes a bigger impact than the above ground portions since the desert life requires large areas under the soil/sand/rock to survive. This is why I hate econuts, they just don't really know much about the ecosystems they so violently defend.

 

[krotchdog]

Kittenkoder, if I could ad something on Geothermal. Currently the most expensive power is geothermal. Its also unregulated and extremely polluting. Fortunately its all toxic heavy metals and radioactive materials so the pollution does not become airborne. Take a look at the dozen or so Geothermal plants on the Salton Sea. Each plant need a well, the wells are drilled 10,000 feet deep, to a pool of water sitting a bed of lave on the San Andreas fault. The wells are located up to three miles away from the plant, requireing a mile to three miles of 48" concrete lined steel pipes. Inside the pipes is the brine from the wells. One gallon of Brine weighs about 10 lbs compared to around 8 lbs for water. The extra 2 llbs is the toxic metals, cobalt 60, cesium, strontium, and a shitload of arsenic. The pipes travel along the Imperial valley farmland and the Pacific flyway for waterfowl. These pipes burst all the time, spewing the contents onto the farmland. The well is a violent well, it shakes and bounce three or four feet into the air, that shaking is transmitted up and down the pipeline all the way to the plant, tremendous stress, much damage, more maintenance required than any other source of power. The well are constantly moved as the pressure drops so they are constantly replacing the pipes.

Maintenance of the plant requires opening of the systems allowing the toxins out. I know, I was there, I even suffered arsenic burns, arsenic on the skin only penetrates the first few layers of skin so I was not poisoned. I worked all night, a pool of contaminated water below the system we were inspecting, crickets walking across the tiny pool, they die before they get across. The ones not in the pool are kind of fine, they just get the poison on thier legs. This plant is on the Pacific flyway for birds, millions, they eat the crickets, how much contamination I do not know, I have seen a grid of farmland on the wall of Cal Energy (I believe cal energy sold thier interest) that showed which farmland was bought due to accidents.

I have seen people dressed in more protective gear than I wear inside nuclear power plants.

Geothermal is a toxic witches brew.

 

[Maple]

I read that article and then heard one of those wacko environmentalists speaking that he does not want wind generation because a bird might fly into it. For you Obama fans out there, he is opposed to Nuclear energy and he most certainly won't let us drill for oil in our own country.

I guess we will freeze in the winter and roast in the summer, we are supposed to go green and now they won't let us do anything. Same old B.S.

 

[krotchdog]

Sad fact is that we wont need any power, we wont produce anything, we wont have jobs.

We will pay more, be taxed more, give more to the entire world.

 

[RoadVirus]

WASHINGTON -- California's Mojave Desert may seem ideally suited for solar energy production, but concern over what several proposed projects might do to the aesthetics of the region and its tortoise population is setting up a potential clash between conservationists and companies seeking to develop renewable energy.

Nineteen companies have submitted applications to build solar or wind facilities on a parcel of 500,000 desert acres, but Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Friday such development would violate the spirit of what conservationists had intended when they donated much of the land to the public.

Feinstein said Friday she intends to push legislation that would turn the land into a national monument, which would allow for existing uses to continue while preventing future development.


Feinstein: Don't Spoil Our Desert With Solar Panels - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com



Oh! how sweet,, no gas, no coal, no nuclear, kennedy don't want no windmills in his back yard and now feinstein don't want no damn solar panels either. you DUmb Democrats gonna freeze yer azzes off? How stupid can you get doyathink?

That's what happens when you involve envrionmentalists into the discussion. They whine and whine about how it'll endanger a species of bug or something even though it could stop global warming, which they also whine about.

 

[oreo]

WASHINGTON -- California's Mojave Desert may seem ideally suited for solar energy production, but concern over what several proposed projects might do to the aesthetics of the region and its tortoise population is setting up a potential clash between conservationists and companies seeking to develop renewable energy.

Nineteen companies have submitted applications to build solar or wind facilities on a parcel of 500,000 desert acres, but Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Friday such development would violate the spirit of what conservationists had intended when they donated much of the land to the public.

Feinstein said Friday she intends to push legislation that would turn the land into a national monument, which would allow for existing uses to continue while preventing future development


Feinstein: Don't Spoil Our Desert With Solar Panels - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com



Oh! how sweet,, no gas, no coal, no nuclear, kennedy don't want no windmills in his back yard and now feinstein don't want no damn solar panels either. you DUmb Democrats gonna freeze yer azzes off? How stupid can you get doyathink?

That's what happens when you involve envrionmentalists into the discussion. They whine and whine about how it'll endanger a species of bug or something even though it could stop global warming, which they also whine about.

Yep--in North Dakota--my friend told me her sister is leasing her land for wind-mill power. They installed a bunch & then the enviromentalists showed up to tell her that the windmills were ruining the flight plan of birds. She told them to take a hike--it was private property.

 

[Old Rocks]

Three Mile Island was a fluke, unlike Chernoble which was poorly maintained ancient technology (the fault of their government at the time). Our current nuke plants are excellent, and have less than a 10% of meltdown, even if they did have a meltdown their precautions for such an event would prevent any serious damage. Unlike coal, which has a 30% chance of explosion and no way to contain the damage to the environment, no matter how advanced the technology gets. As for solar, wind, etc. (not geothermal, which is actually a decent alternative just rare), they cause more harm than most people are willing to acknowledge, even in the desert which has a delicate ecosytem like any other location. They are still far behind and would require way too much space (the primary impact on the ecosystems). Not only above ground but also below, which in the desert causes a bigger impact than the above ground portions since the desert life requires large areas under the soil/sand/rock to survive. This is why I hate econuts, they just don't really know much about the ecosystems they so violently defend.

Good God! Kitten, if I ever repaired a machine and assured my boss it had less than a 10% chance of failure, he would toss my ass right out the door.

We were all assured that Three Mile Island could not happen. We were assured that the Utilities were trustworthy to take all neccessary precautions to prevent such a thing from happening.

Then when it happened, we were assured that it was not really that bad. And then found out it was a really damned close thing. At that point, the American Public decided that the people involved could not be trusted. And many still feel that way.

 

[Old Rocks]

Kittenkoder, if I could ad something on Geothermal. Currently the most expensive power is geothermal. Its also unregulated and extremely polluting. Fortunately its all toxic heavy metals and radioactive materials so the pollution does not become airborne. Take a look at the dozen or so Geothermal plants on the Salton Sea. Each plant need a well, the wells are drilled 10,000 feet deep, to a pool of water sitting a bed of lave on the San Andreas fault. The wells are located up to three miles away from the plant, requireing a mile to three miles of 48" concrete lined steel pipes. Inside the pipes is the brine from the wells. One gallon of Brine weighs about 10 lbs compared to around 8 lbs for water. The extra 2 llbs is the toxic metals, cobalt 60, cesium, strontium, and a shitload of arsenic. The pipes travel along the Imperial valley farmland and the Pacific flyway for waterfowl. These pipes burst all the time, spewing the contents onto the farmland. The well is a violent well, it shakes and bounce three or four feet into the air, that shaking is transmitted up and down the pipeline all the way to the plant, tremendous stress, much damage, more maintenance required than any other source of power. The well are constantly moved as the pressure drops so they are constantly replacing the pipes.

Maintenance of the plant requires opening of the systems allowing the toxins out. I know, I was there, I even suffered arsenic burns, arsenic on the skin only penetrates the first few layers of skin so I was not poisoned. I worked all night, a pool of contaminated water below the system we were inspecting, crickets walking across the tiny pool, they die before they get across. The ones not in the pool are kind of fine, they just get the poison on thier legs. This plant is on the Pacific flyway for birds, millions, they eat the crickets, how much contamination I do not know, I have seen a grid of farmland on the wall of Cal Energy (I believe cal energy sold thier interest) that showed which farmland was bought due to accidents.

I have seen people dressed in more protective gear than I wear inside nuclear power plants.

Geothermal is a toxic witches brew.

Geothermal
Geothermal energy is the heat from the Earth. It's clean and sustainable. Resources of geothermal energy range from the shallow ground to hot water and hot rock found a few miles beneath the Earth's surface, and down even deeper to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock called magma.

The Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Program supports the U.S. geothermal industry in providing diversity, and therefore security, in domestic energy supply options. This support also helps the industry maintain its technical edge in world energy markets, thereby enhancing exports of U.S. goods and services and U.S. job growth. Energy works in partnership with U.S. industry to establish geothermal energy as an economically competitive contributor to the U.S. energy supply.

The Office of Scientific and Technical Information maintains technical reports related to geothermal energy on its Geothermal Energy Technology (GET) subject portal.

Information on geothermal generation and capacity is available through the Energy Information Administration.

Department of Energy - Geothermal

 

[alan1]

WASHINGTON -- California's Mojave Desert may seem ideally suited for solar energy production, but concern over what several proposed projects might do to the aesthetics of the region and its tortoise population is setting up a potential clash between conservationists and companies seeking to develop renewable energy.

Nineteen companies have submitted applications to build solar or wind facilities on a parcel of 500,000 desert acres, but Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Friday such development would violate the spirit of what conservationists had intended when they donated much of the land to the public.

Feinstein said Friday she intends to push legislation that would turn the land into a national monument, which would allow for existing uses to continue while preventing future development.





Feinstein: Don't Spoil Our Desert With Solar Panels - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com




Oh! how sweet,, no gas, no coal, no nuclear, kennedy don't want no windmills in his back yard and now feinstein don't want no damn solar panels either. you DUmb Democrats gonna freeze yer azzes off? How stupid can you get doyathink?

What happened to Ms 'We need alternative energy' Feinstein?
Feinstein Joins Democrats in Announcing Sweeping New Energy Legislation
snip,

“The recent spike in gas prices is one more illustration of why our nation needs to end its addiction to oil,” Senator Feinstein said. “We need hybrids on the road, alternative fuels, new technologies, and real leadership. It’s not time for more of the same. It’s time for a fresh approach -- one that will lead to higher fuel economy, less reliance on foreign oil, and a major reduction in greenhouse gases. This is the major challenge of this century. How we address this issue will shape our nation’s future.”

Seems she doesn't want to actually address the issue now, does it?

 

[Old Rocks]

Monday, March 23, 2009
Feinstein: Solar energy could destroy the Mojave Desert
Increasing the nation's use of wind and solar power has been seen as an ideal way to protect the environment against pollution, oil spills, and nuclear waste. Now, however, fears are rising that the pressure to quickly ramp up large-scale production of alternative energy may in itself become a threat to fragile ecosystems. That is the concern of Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA, who announced last week that she intends to introduce legislation to declare part of the Mojave Desert a national monument, closed to further development. The area in question is a 500,000 acre parcel, once owned by the railroads and known as the former Catellus lands, which conservationists acquired between 1999 and 2004 and handed over to the federal government. The Bureau of Land Management has made the land available for any purpose except mining. Fourteen solar energy projects and five wind energy projects have now submitted applications to build there, though all the applications are years away from being approved. "This is unacceptable," Feinstein wrote in a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. "I urge you to direct the BLM to suspend any further consideration of leases to develop former railroad lands for renewable energy or for any other purpose."...Raw Story

The greenies continue their NIMBY ways, even on renewable energy.

The Westerner: Feinstein: Solar energy could destroy the Mojave Desert

500,000 acres. That is about 780 sq mi. A block of land 28 by 28 miles on the side. I do believe that there is a lot more desert than that in Southern California. At least there sure seemed to be when I was there last.

People, there are a lot of areas that are ideal for solar, wind, and geothermal that are not sited in areas of special environmental concern.

 

[Old Rocks]

Sad fact is that we wont need any power, we wont produce anything, we wont have jobs.

We will pay more, be taxed more, give more to the entire world.

Gee, have you ever had a job?

 

[Old Rocks]

Kittenkoder, if I could ad something on Geothermal. Currently the most expensive power is geothermal. Its also unregulated and extremely polluting. Fortunately its all toxic heavy metals and radioactive materials so the pollution does not become airborne. Take a look at the dozen or so Geothermal plants on the Salton Sea. Each plant need a well, the wells are drilled 10,000 feet deep, to a pool of water sitting a bed of lave on the San Andreas fault. The wells are located up to three miles away from the plant, requireing a mile to three miles of 48" concrete lined steel pipes. Inside the pipes is the brine from the wells. One gallon of Brine weighs about 10 lbs compared to around 8 lbs for water. The extra 2 llbs is the toxic metals, cobalt 60, cesium, strontium, and a shitload of arsenic. The pipes travel along the Imperial valley farmland and the Pacific flyway for waterfowl. These pipes burst all the time, spewing the contents onto the farmland. The well is a violent well, it shakes and bounce three or four feet into the air, that shaking is transmitted up and down the pipeline all the way to the plant, tremendous stress, much damage, more maintenance required than any other source of power. The well are constantly moved as the pressure drops so they are constantly replacing the pipes.

Maintenance of the plant requires opening of the systems allowing the toxins out. I know, I was there, I even suffered arsenic burns, arsenic on the skin only penetrates the first few layers of skin so I was not poisoned. I worked all night, a pool of contaminated water below the system we were inspecting, crickets walking across the tiny pool, they die before they get across. The ones not in the pool are kind of fine, they just get the poison on thier legs. This plant is on the Pacific flyway for birds, millions, they eat the crickets, how much contamination I do not know, I have seen a grid of farmland on the wall of Cal Energy (I believe cal energy sold thier interest) that showed which farmland was bought due to accidents.

I have seen people dressed in more protective gear than I wear inside nuclear power plants.

Geothermal is a toxic witches brew.

http://geoheat.oit.edu/bulletin/bull21-2/art1.pdf


MINING ECONOMIC BENEFITS FROM
GEOTHERMAL BRINE
CalEnergy Mineral Recovery Project Creates Jobs and Increases Revenues
from Geothermal Power Operations in California’s Imperial Valley
Ted J. Clutter, Executive Director
Geothermal Resources Council
Davis, CA
On January 31, 1999, CalEnergy Operating Corp.
(CalEnergy) unveiled a $400 million expansion of their
geothermal power complex on the shores of the Salton Sea in
southern California’s Imperial Valley. The new construction
includes nearly 60 megawatts (MW) of new geothermal electrical
capacity, and a unique project to “mine” commercialgrade
zinc from geothermal brine produced for power
generation. CalEnergy is a subsidiary of Mid-American
Energy Holdings Co. (Des Moines, IA).
CalEnergy currently operates eight geothermal power