Despite the lawsuit Friends of Nevada Wilderness filed concerning the BLM's failure to analyze a more sustainable route for Greenlink West into an already-built-out power corridor outside key bighorn habitat and cultural areas, NV Energy’s bulldozers have recently begun destroying the heart of our proposed Esmeralda-Fish Lake Area of Critical Environmental Concern.
This portion of Esmeralda County is completely surrounded by Lands with Wilderness Characteristics and the undeveloped valley was the core that held the wildness together.
it appears that NV Energy has leap-frogged their construction activities up to Esmeralda County. While they have a legal right of way, we were hoping through our lawsuit there may still be a chance to reroute the line into that existing, already-developed corridor and avoid construction within the proposed ACEC.
FNW Wildlands Policy Manager Julien Pelligrini, who extensively inventoried and roamed this region for the last 15 years, documented the destruction first hand on the morning of June 30. Julien reported seeing active constructions with dust plumes rising above giant bulldozers and earth movers, along with multiple housing units and campers, a fleet of steamrollers and dump trucks, water and fuel tankers, a huge bulldozed parking lot full of vehicles, and an office building.
“I am desperately heartbroken, it feels like I have lost an old friend," Julien reported.
The construction of Greenlink West also sets the stage for the massive Las Vegas-sized proposed Esmeralda 7 industrial solar facility that would forever degrade core wildlife habitat and destroy sacred cultural areas.
Again, there is a BLM-designated unused solar energy zone nearby that already has existing infrastructure. However, the BLM is allowing construction of a brand new parallel powerline and is in the process of authorizing industrial-scale solar projects in a totally undeveloped and beautiful part of our state.
Defend wild Esmeralda with us - speak up for the proposed Esmeralda-Fish Lake Area of Critical Environmental Concern and balance between conservation and green energy by signing our petition today!
NV Energy bulldozing proposed ACEC - photo by Julien Pelligrini
