OPINION: When planning the use of solar energy, mining issues cannot be ignored

In response to the opinion entitled A vision for smart solar from the ground up on public lands in Nevadapublished in Nevada Independent April 17, written by members of the Smart From The Start Coalition (SFTSC), the Women’s Mining Coalition offers the following response:

The Start From The Start Coalition describes itself as “a collaboration between all affected communities and stakeholders.” However, some very important stakeholders have been left out: mineral exploration and mining companies. Such companies have been exploring and mining on public lands in Nevada and other Western states for decades, helping to combat climate change by extracting and refining resources needed to transition to renewable energy, including solar energy projects. Start over The Coalition’s goal of “the thoughtful use of renewable energy potential on public lands” is not met unless exploration and mineral extraction companies that use public lands are added to the equation. If SFTSC truly believes in the value of “meaningful community input,” the mining and exploration industry, and the citizens it employs and the rural communities it supports, cannot be overlooked.

There are numerous current and proposed mineral exploration and extraction projects throughout Nevada. These potential mineral areas cannot be moved; Ore deposits must be mined where they are discovered. As currently proposed, the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) western solar plan could create numerous conflicts between proponents of solar energy projects and proponents of mineral development.

The BLM is committed to avoiding and minimizing such conflicts to the maximum extent possible, as well as limiting impacts on the landscape, as noted by the Smart From The Start Coalition. The solar plan will essentially withdraw large areas from mineral inflows before any geological assessment of the resources needed for the desired energy transition. While the Women’s Mining Coalition agrees with the Intelligent Startup Coalition that allocating land for solar fields may be wise, it should not be done at the expense of access to needed resources.

The Smart From The Start Coalition refers to the “president’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2035,” but this goal has been questioned as unattainable. Regardless of feasibility, this lofty goal cannot be achieved without mineral resources, most of which are found in the western United States and especially in Nevada. Geology determines where mineral deposits are found.

Many deposits are rare and difficult to find because they are buried. The chances of discovering a mineral deposit that can be developed into an economic mine are extremely slim. The National Academy of Sciences estimates that only 1 in 1,000 deposits will contain enough mineralization to become a mine. Solar energy projects have much greater location flexibility than mineral exploration and development projects. Without BLM’s consideration of mineral exploration and production areas, the Western Solar Plan interferes with the nation’s critical mineral needs and goals.

At a time when it is widely recognized that the energy transition is rapidly increasing demand for many key minerals, the BLM must find a way to balance solar energy development projects with mineral resource development projects to provide the nation with minerals that are essential components of electric vehicles, storage systems battery energy, solar panels, wind turbines, transmission lines and all other equipment and infrastructure needed to transition to renewable energy.

The Women’s Mining Coalition is a grassroots organization with over 200 members throughout the country. Our mission is to support today’s modern domestic mining industry that is essential to our nation. Members of the Women’s Mining Coalition operate in all sectors of the mining industry, energy generation, production, transport and services.

As solar energy generation becomes increasingly common in many areas of the country, particularly in Western states, members of the Women’s Mining Coalition have concerns about potential conflicts between solar energy and mineral exploration and extraction, particularly related to many ongoing exploration and mining projects, and as well as future projects in the 11 states covered by the BLM’s Draft Utility-Scale Program Environmental Impact Statement under the Western Solar Plan.

These conflicts cannot be overlooked during the localization process; Including all interested parties in further discussions would be an effective first step towards resolving potential conflicts.

Lynne Volpi is a board member of the Women’s Mining Coalition.

Nevada Independent welcomes informed and convincing rebuttals of opinions such as this. Send them to (email protected).