Obama energy plan establishes "solar energy zones" in western desert

The Obama administration has unveiled plans for solar energy development in the western US, with large-scale industrial projects directed to 285,000 acres of desert land and new development to take place on 20 million acres of the Mojave.

The Bureau of Land Management's "solar energy zones" are intended to protect some of the desert's most sensitive landscapes by identifying "sweet spots" that have already passed environmental requirements and therefore promise expedited permitting. Conservation groups contend that the desert, home to scores of endangered plants and animals, is not capable of absorbing industrial-scale change.

The seventeen solar energy zones in six western states were identified by their absence of major environmental or cultural conflicts. But nothing prevents a developer from requesting permission to build on federal land outside the preferred areas.

Renewable energy is a centerpiece of President Obama's energy policy, which aims to reduce American dependence on foreign oil while developing domestic clean energy that creates jobs.