Tribes file suit to stop Blythe solar energy project

The Colorado River Indian Tribes have filed suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management in an effort to halt the development of a large-scale solar energy project near Blythe, Calif. In a complaint filed Dec. 4, in U.S. District Court, Central District of California, Eastern Division, the Tribes allege the BLM did not adequately consult with them over the cultural aspects of developing the land. They claim the development would cause irreparable harm to the culture of the Mohave people. CRIT further alleges that, in the approval process for the project, the BLM violated the Administrative Procedure Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. Kara Briggs of Pyramid Communications, a public relations firm hired by CRIT, said they are seeking an injunction to stop construction on the project. The case number is 5:14-cv-02504. The project, which is being built by NextEra Energy Resources on 4,000 acres of land held by the BLM, is one of several solar energy projects in the Blythe area that are being proposed, are in the approval process, or have been approved by the BLM in a 147,000-acre “Solar Energy Zone.” The proposed facility would be located 20 miles west of Blythe, Calif. on Interstate 10. It would create 47 jobs and generate enough electricity for 88,000 homes. Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2015. CRIT claims this land is part of their ancestral homelands that cover the Mohave Desert...more