Pirate's Cove

Pope Francis released his encyclical today regarding “climate change”, which calls for more “green” energy, which has members of the Cult of Climastrology squeeing in support (no word on whether Leftists will also follow the Pope’s pronouncements on abortion). Hardcore enviros and Warmists have long been pushing for the immediate end of the use of fossil fuels (while refusing to give up their own use), and using only alternative energy, like solar, wind, geothermal, and hydrothermal. Yet, as we see often, they like these energy alternatives in theory, not practice

(Fox News) One might expect environmentalists to fight a new power plant, but a new battle being waged by California green groups against a solar facility shows there may be something new under the sun, after all.

A solar-powered plant proposed by industrial giant Bechtel on federal Bureau of Land Management property in the Mojave Desert could supply up to 170,000 homes in Los Angeles with electricity from the sun, but it also would make life difficult for about 100 Bighorn Sheep and other critters, according to the Sierra Club and the National Resources Defense Council. Their concerns have convinced the city not to buy electricity from the 350-megawatt Soda Mountain project.

“The City of Los Angeles spoke with one voice and rejected buying power from the ecologically damaging Soda Mountain Solar project,” the Sierra Club said in a statement. “Given the Bureau of Land Management’s recent decision to approve the project, this leadership from Los Angeles is well-timed and makes a powerful statement.”

BLM had even scaled the project back, to the point where it would have only provided (unreliable) energy for just 79,000 homes, and the project was still rejected.

Environmentalists want the sheep to be able to cross the nearby I-15 highway so they can breed with other herds and avoid becoming inbred. They claim that even the limited solar installation might get in the sheep’s way because it would be built near existing highway underpasses. Local environmentalists acknowledge that the sheep do not currently use the underpasses, but say they might in the future.

Personally, I’d be against the solar farm because it’s an eyesore and takes up huge tracts of land. I think the push should be for more small scale projects aimed more at single homes and buildings, but the far left Enviros and Warmists have been pushing these big projects. Until they are actually ready to be built.

“Since solar energy — like coal, oil, gas, nuclear, and every form of energy — involves development, this is no surprise,” Epstein told FoxNews.com. “The green movement is not about creating better forms of energy, it is about minimizing development.”

All the people against the solar plant, including the LA city council, should have to deal with a reduced amount of power for themselves. But, don’t think this is the only recent project being protested

(UK Guardian) Construction of a massive hydroelectric dam is endangering the livelihoods of at least 2,000 families in Brazil’s Amazon jungle state of Para, according to federal prosecutors who recommend that efforts to move the residents be suspended.

The federal prosecutors’ office said in a statement Monday that the Norte Energia consortium that is building the $11bn Belo Monte dam on the Xingu River has violated 55 previously agreed-to items to guarantee indigenous groups, farmers and fishermen their means of survival.

Well, those are certainly legitimate reasons to suspend construction. Of course

The dam, the government has said, was designed to minimize environmental damage.

But environmentalists and indigenous groups say it would devastate wildlife and their livelihoods.

Again, that’s a good point. However, building energy plants is never clean, even “green” energy plants. What, exactly, did the Enviroweenies and Warmists think would happen? That a pristine and perfect plant would appear? They’re all for this type of energy, but mostly only in theory.

Crossed at Right Wing News.