The U.S. Bureau of Land Management property will witness the first project of its kind on its land which would have a solar energy complex spread over 6 square miles of California’s Mojave Desert. As a result, more than two dozens of tortoises which are under a threat for its extinction could be hindered from their natural habitat.

Oakland, California based “BrightSource Energy”, a private company dealing in solar energy technology has been trying to get permission from the U.S. government for more than 2 years now so that they could plan their project of 400,000 mirrors on this area, which would produce solar energy. This would be a great example what they would set for others to follow in proper utilization of stretches of lands available across the country.

Scientists have predicted a drawback arising out of this project. According to them, this project would kill the natural environment for desert tortoises which are known to be under the threat for its extinction. This also includes other species from the wildlife like the Western burrowing owl and bighorn sheep. Environmentalists and the Sierra Club have shown their disapproval towards this project and want the location of this project to be changed in order to preserve the wildlife which they call it as a near-pristine home. They feel that the project is well planned but the location is not. This land has been preserved by environmentalists for years and this argument would go on for years as more private firms plan their construction of geothermal, wind and solar plants on these lands. So there are a few questions which are raised due to this, at the natural wildlife’s cost, California would be planning to push its generation of one-third of power by 2010 from renewable sources, would that be worth it?
Applications as much as 150 in numbers been received by the Bureau of Land Management towards their approval of large scale solar project installation sprawling across 1.8 million acres of government land across Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado.
California would be considered to have the world’s largest solar farm. According to BrightSource Energy, the three solar power plants project established on this land would generate more power enough for 142,000 housing and billions of dollars in terms of revenue. How would the solar power generation work?  The heat generated from sun power is converted into steam driving the turbines to produce electricity.
The project is planned to be built in phases, each plant would have 8-foot steel fencing circling it and the project would have seven 459- foot metal towers, a natural gas pipeline, water tanks, boilers, separate establishments for administrative work and maintenance and lastly steam turbine generators.

However, the government and state biologists have a plan towards the preservation of endangered species like desert tortoises. A project which would cost them about $25 million allowing the company to get all the tortoises moved to 12,000 acres of land located elsewhere. When asked about this plan, the company declined to divulge more details on this.
The Sierra Club was quoted saying in a governments filing that the project should not involve in any additional loss of the wildlife habitat.
Keely Wachs, a spokesman for BrightSource said in a statement that the company would work with the environmental social group ensuring they leave a footprint for others to follow.