For Renewable Energy in the Desert, a New Beginning (The Desert Sun)
For six years, state and federal officials have worked on a sweeping plan that would promote renewable energy development while protecting California's pristine and largely undisturbed landscapes.
But when the 8,000-page Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan was finally released, its proposals prompted as much criticism as they did relief.
Geothermal advocates see the document as a victory for their industry, but even some of the plan's strongest supporters have as many questions as they do answers. National environmental groups in particular — while optimistic that the plan strikes a reasonable balance between development and conservation — have wondered whether there will be too great a burden on the desert.
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