Interior Secretary Sally Jewell expected to OK desert plan

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell will be in Palm Desert on Wednesday, where she is expected to approve the first phase of a renewable energy and conservation plan for California’s deserts. Jewell will attend a signing ceremony for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan at the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument visitor center in Palm Desert, according to a press advisory. The sweeping plan covers 10 million acres of public lands in the deserts of seven California counties, including Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles. It strives to speed up approvals for solar, wind and geothermal projects creating energy development zones in locations where such projects would do the least amount of harm to wildlife habitat and other natural and cultural resources. The final plan has not been released, but it’s expected to give new protections to some of the most sensitive and pristine wildlife habitats left in the nation. The plan has been in the works for eight years...more