Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Power Storage Project Near Joshua Tree NP Is a Bad Idea

17/11/2016

Eagle Mountain, site of the proposed pumped storage facility | Photo: Chris Clarke

Commentary: As a friend of the environment for over three decades, I am concerned about the possibility of a harmful addition to my desert community.

Although a new resident, having spent parts of the last four years living here and recently making a permanent move from Illinois to Joshua Tree to help care for our baby grandson, Ive grown to appreciate the high desert and its spectacular public lands. At the same time, I'm understanding more about the importance of sound renewable energy policy and the devastating effects of bad decision making. Nowhere is this seen more than in the Eagle Mountain area, just south of Joshua Tree National Park, where the proposed Eagle Crest Pumped Storage Project is undergoing final review of its associated transmission line.

--

--

Like many, I value a clean, green renewable energy future: but hearing about the pumped storage project details, I couldn't see how it had gotten this far. It would consist of two of the abandoned Kaiser Mine pits which, over the projects lifetime, would fill with over 100,000 acre feet of groundwater, pumped from the fragile Chuckwalla Aquifer. The idea is that the project will store renewable energy released during peak hours when the sun isn't shining; but experts question its effectiveness in meeting California's greenhouse gas reduction and storage goals as well its appropriateness for our desert environment. Annual evaporative losses for the project alone will exceed 1,500 acre-feet. When we must all be so careful about water use, how can this project even be considered?

Furthermore, it poses a grave threat to the ecological integrity of Joshua Tree National Park. Open, water-filled mine pits attract ravens and other predators that kill desert tortoises. The project would disrupt a major connective corridor for bighorn sheep traveling between the Coxcomb Mountains and the Eagle Mountains, and pump huge amounts of groundwater from an aquifer connected to a groundwater system beneath the Park.

More about eagle mountain

Hydroelectric Storage Project Near Joshua Tree Moves Forward

Supreme Court Denies Hearing to Place Garbage Dump Next to Joshua Tree National Park

The Mojave Desert is Under Assault

Unfortunately, the project received a license to operate and the last project piece, and the transmission line, whose comment period recently closed, is being evaluated as a separate component by the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM is under pressure to authorize the project and has completed only a very rushed Environmental Assessment using stale information and old data from the project's gravely flawed original environmental documents. The 2014 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Eagle Crest Project Environmental Impact Study was so bad that the Environmental Protection Agency, which rates environmental documents, gave it an EO-2 rating for Insufficient information - a resounding thumbs down.

Besides the pumped storage project's harmful impacts to the Park, the transmission line, which cuts through part of a newly formed BLM Area of Critical Environmental Concern would pose a grave threat to desert tortoise, golden eagle and migratory and resident birds.

In this hundredth anniversary of the National Park Service, we must engage in sound decision making and protect special places like Joshua Tree National Park. I call on the BLM to conduct a full and comprehensive EIS for the Eagle Crest Transmission Line in its responsibility to ensure that Joshua Tree National Park can be protected and enjoyed by many for years to come.

Commentaries are the opinions of their authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of KCETLink. Banner: desert tortoise. Photo: USFWS

Comment
LINK: https://www.kcet.org/redefine/power-storage-project-near-joshua-tree-n...
See more stories from kcet

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

12/02/2026

Mo Rocca to Receive the 2026 LABF Insight Award at NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Marshall Electronics POVs Power Hidden Camera Investigat...

The production team of the long-running German investigative series Achtung Abzocke recently upgraded its cameras for the show's 12th season. The objectiv...

12/02/2026

Bitmovin Appoints Ian Baglow as Co-Chief Executive Office...

Leading provider of video streaming solutions, Bitmovin, has appointed Ian Baglow as Co-CEO alongside existing CEO and Co-Founder Stefan Lederer. Under this str...

12/02/2026

Vizrt Launches Sports Production Bundles to Empower US St...

Vizrt, a leading viewer engagement platform and a trusted expert in live production technologies, today announces the launch of four Campus Stadium Production B...

12/02/2026

Ailanto and Cubbit launch sovereign cloud storage for Swi...

Strategic agreement to deliver S3 cloud storage in Switzerland with full data sovereignty and local control including at the level of individual cantons plu...

12/02/2026

Mad About Video counts on Lightware MX2 matrix switcher a...

Mad About Video is a leading specialist in video for live events and installations throughout Malta. In operation since 2011, it has evolved from a company focu...

12/02/2026

JAGGAER supports Betsson Group in further strengthening i...

JAGGAER, a global leader in digital procurement and supplier collaboration solutions, today announced the successful delivery of a procurement digitalization pr...

12/02/2026

LiveU Spotlights Three Broadcast Priorities at NAB Show 2...

At NAB Show, LiveU will showcase its broadest IP-video EcoSystem to date, designed to help broadcasters and content creators embrace digital first operations, d...

12/02/2026

Spectrum News Acquires New England Cable News

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Vizrt Unveils Campus Stadium Production Bundles

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Hulu + Live TV Adds Fubo Sports Network to Channel Line-up

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

FCC To Hold Open Commission Meeting on Feb. 18

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Ralph M. Oakley to Receive NAB's Chuck Sherman TV Leadership Award

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

GeForce NOW Turns Screens Into a Gaming Machine

The GeForce NOW sixth-anniversary festivities roll on this February, continuing a monthlong celebration of NVIDIA's cloud gaming service. This week brings ...

12/02/2026

February 11, 2026

TIME100 Health list features Scripps Research Professor Darrell Irvine Irvine is recognized for his work in empowering the immune system to fight disease, which...

11/02/2026

FYI: Phone Support Maintenance

FYI: Phone Support Maintenance One thing we pride ourselves on here at Utah Scientific is our 24-hour support included with our signature 10-year hardware warra...

11/02/2026

Bitmovin Appoints Ian Baglow as Co-Chief Executive Officer

Leading provider of video streaming solutions, Bitmovin, has appointed Ian Baglow as Co-CEO alongside existing CEO and Co-Founder Stefan Lederer. Under this str...

11/02/2026

Paramount and CBS Partner to Air UFC 326

Paramount and the CBS Television Network will partner to air UFC 326: HOLLOWAY vs. OLIVEIRA 2 live on Saturday, March 7, from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, mar...

11/02/2026

MLB.TV Launches on ESPN Beginning February 10

Beginning February 10, fans can buy MLB.TV on ESPN, a new milestone in one of sports media's longest-standing partnerships. ESPN becomes the new streaming h...

11/02/2026

Fubo Sports Network Launches on Hulu + Live TV

Fubo Sports Network is available to Hulu's Live TV subscribers in the core $89.99 a month subscription plan, which also includes full access to the entire H...

11/02/2026

Rai Selects Imagine Selenio Network Processor for IP Migration

Following a competitive public tender process, Rai (Radiotelevisione Italiana), the national public broadcasting company of Italy, has awarded Imagine Communica...

11/02/2026

MLB Makes In-Market Streaming Subscriptions for 20 Clubs Available to Fans

Major League Baseball is making in-market streaming subscriptions for 20 Clubs available today for fans. Subscriptions for the following Clubs are available vi...

11/02/2026

5G Broadcast Trials Return to the Olympic Stage at Milano Cortina 2026

Building on successful demonstrations during the Paris Olympics 2024, Italian public service broadcaster Rai and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are condu...

11/02/2026

ESPN and Disney Launch We're Going, the First Marketing Campaign for ESPN's Inaugural Super Bowl

Following Sunday's Super Bowl LX, ESPN and Disney unveiled We're Going,...

11/02/2026

Stats Perform: 2026 Super Bowl Latency Report

Delayed streams are a growing source of frustration for sports fans. During the 2026 Super Bowl, some streams lagged up to 62 seconds behind the action on the f...

11/02/2026

NASCAR Channel and FloSports to Simulcast 16 Races Live

NASCAR and FloSports announces an expanded slate of racing events that will bring FloRacing coverage live throughout the 2026 season to the NASCAR Channel, furt...

11/02/2026

Manifold Expands Sales Presence in Europe

Manifold technologies GmbH announces the appointment of Nick Tucker as Sales Manager for Europe, reinforcing the company's continued growth across broadcast...

11/02/2026

Genies and MLB Players Inc. Team Up to Create AI Characters of MLB Players

Genies, the AI avatar technology company powering the next era of interactive digital identity, entered into a landmark collaboration with MLB Players, Inc., th...

11/02/2026

ICC, Google Partner for the First-Ever AI-Powered ICC Men's T20 World Cup fuelled by Gemini & Pixel

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Google have joined forces for an AI-...

11/02/2026

Dolby Highlights From First Ever Super Bowl LX Innovation Summit

Dolby's CEO Kevin Yeaman and Giles Baker, SVP of Dolby Cloud Solutions, shared how the brand's latest innovations - Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby...

11/02/2026

Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings Enter Broadcast Partnership with MLB

Ilitch Sports + Entertainment has entered a first of its kind partnership with Major League Baseball, which will provide broadcast support to both the Detroit T...

11/02/2026

A Changing Landscape: MLB Local Media Brings Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels Into the Fold; ESPN Begins Distribution of MLB.TV

Broadcasts of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings will also be produced by the leagu...

11/02/2026

DAM Los Angeles

Video moves fast can your DAM keep up? Join Blue Lucy in LA for the West Coast's leading Digital Asset Management event as we explore, celebrate, and acc...

11/02/2026

Super Bowl LX Delivers 124.9 Million Viewers

NEW YORK - February 10, 2026 - An estimated 124.9 million viewers watched Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, according to Nielsen's Big Data Panel measu...

11/02/2026

Scripps Selling Court TV to Jellysmack

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Schulze-Brakel Introduces Wireless Clip-On Branding For Mics

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

LiveU To Showcase Expanded IP-Video EcoSystem at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Clear-Com Powers TEDNext 2025 with Gen-IC Virtual Interco...

Clear-Com provided an advanced, IP-based communications infrastructure for TEDNext 2025, supporting production, media, and editorial teams with a highly flexib...

11/02/2026

Astera Releases QuikBeam - Versatile 200W Equivalent LED...

Astera introduces QuikBeam, the newest addition to its acclaimed Quik family of focusing LED Fresnels. This ultra-compact spotlight combines the equivalent powe...

11/02/2026

Rai Selects Imagine Selenio Network Processor for IP Migr...

Following a competitive public tender process, Rai (Radiotelevisione Italiana), the national public broadcasting company of Italy, has awarded Imagine Communica...

11/02/2026

DoPchoice to Intro SNAP RABBIT Octa 5 SNAPBAG

With Convertible Mount for NL Bowens & Aputure A Mounts See it at BSC Expo Stand #133 LCA DoPchoice continues to refine light shaping tools for professional LE...

11/02/2026

ZEISS Aatma -Contemporary Full Frame Primes with a Soulfu...

World Premiere at BSC Expo, Booth #319 Oberkochen/Germany, 10 February 2026 ZEISS introduces the new Aatma, set of nine high-end full frame T1.5 cinema primes ...

11/02/2026

NUGEN Audio Plug Ins Help Nick Fry Navigate the Demands o...

As Re-recording Mixer and Head of Sound at The Farm, one of UK's leading post-production facilities, Nick Fry has built his career on making stories sound a...

11/02/2026

iSpot Introduces Agentic AI Platform iSpot SAGE

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...