Hill Heat

In an effort to explore the use of solar power to meet America’s future energy needs, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, led by Chairman Jim Costa (D-CA), will hold an oversight field hearing in Palm Desert, California on “Solar Energy Development on Federal Lands: The Road to Consensus.”

Federal lands have the potential to play a significant role in achieving our national renewable energy goals – experts believe some of the best solar and wind resources in the world are located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service lands in the western United States. The deserts of southern California, in particular, hold exceptional promise for providing large amounts of solar power. The BLM has already received applications from developers interested in building nearly 50,000 Megawatts of solar in that region.

However, some contend that solar power plants could take up large amounts of land and potentially use considerable quantities of water, leading to questions about the most environmentally appropriate places to locate these facilities.

The Subcommittee will explore the complexities surrounding the siting and permitting of solar plants and transmission lines on federal lands, and examine the planning processes being undertaken by the State of California to achieve consensus among various stakeholders.

Witnesses

Panel 1

• Jim Ferguson, Councilman, City of Palm Desert, California
• Commissioner Julia Levin, California Energy Commission
• Commissioner Rachelle Chong, California Public Utilities Commission
• James Abbott, Acting State Director, California State Office, Bureau of Land Management
• Thomas M. Kretzschmar, Senior Projects Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Panel 2

• Steven Malnight, Vice President of Renewable Energy, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
• Carl Zichella, Western Renewable Projects Director, Sierra Club
• Katherine Gensler, Manager of Regulatory & Legislative Affairs, Solar Energy Industries Association
• Michael Niggli, Chief Operating Officer, Sempra Energy Utilities

University of California, Riverside (UCR)
Palm Desert Graduate Center
75080 Frank Sinatra Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92211