Government wants fewer wild horse and burro roundups

The federal corrals in Ridgecrest, the closest to the Inland area, hold about 650 horses and 350 burros rounded up in California, Arizona and Nevada, said Art DiGrazia, who oversees the corral.

Green On Green “Violence” in California

In June 2009, Southern California Edison announced it signed a contract to purchase energy from Ridgecrest. However, in January of this year, Solar Millenium announced it canceled the project. The company’s CEO Josef Eichhammer stated in a letter to the California Energy Commission and the BLM that the project is “unlikely to be open to a recommendation of approval.”

Ridgecrest came under heavy criticism from conservationist groups and local citizens for its potential impact on Mojave Desert tortoises (listed as an endangered species) and ground squirrels, the amount of water it would use, and Valley Fever spores it might stir up. Valley Fever is a respiratory disease native to the Mojave Desert, the San Joaquin Valley of California, and parts of Arizona.

solar news ridgecrest

Borrego Solar purchased 10 MW of Yingli Solar PV modules in 2010, which were used in several high-profile projects, including the San Diego Community College District (San Diego, CA, 2.8 MW), City of Ridgecrest (Ridgecrest, CA, 500 kW), and San Diego County Water Authority (San Diego, CA, 1.8 MW). In total, these projects created approximately 400 green jobs, and are expected to deliver enough clean solar energy to power approximately 8,500 homes.solar news ridgecrest