Fight brews after critical accord over California desert is upended

It looks like a barren no man’s land, but the vast desert outside Indio, Calif., has many suitors. Conservationists see it as a scarce habitat for tortoises, pronghorn antelope and an elusive variety of mule deer. Energy companies view it as a prime perch for solar panels and wind turbines. Dirt tracks are testament to its popularity among off-road motor sports enthusiasts. Obama-era rules ensured that portions of California’s sunniest public lands would be reserved for conservation, other parts for large-scale solar, wind and geothermal development and mining, and other sections for recreation. But that delicate peace among competing interests could be upended. President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to reopen the study of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan and consider shrinking the areas it protects and expanding lands available for solar, wind, broadband infrastructure, mining, off-road vehicles and grazing. Now, stakeholders are once again vying for control of some of the most sensitive and sought-after lands in the state...MORE