The proposed Bahsahwahbee National Monument in White Pine County, Nevada. (Photo courtesy Kyle Roerink)
Several Native American Tribes in Nevada fear a new solar development plan created by the federal government could lead to utility scale solar projects on the site of the proposed Bahsahwahbee national monument.
Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management released their long-anticipated Western Solar Plan, a roadmap that will set the trajectory for solar energy development across 11 western states for the next two decades.
Under the plan, about 12 million acres of public land in Nevada would be available for solar development. Utility scale solar developments would be permitted up to 15 miles from existing and planned transmission lines or designated energy corridors, as well as on previously disturbed lands.
The boundary of the proposed 25,000 acre Bahsahwahbee National Monument in White Pine County falls within those 15 miles.
Bahsahwahbee is the site of three 19th century massacres committed by settlers and the federal government against the Newe people — including one of the largest recorded massacres of Native Americans in U.S. history, resulting in the death of an estimated 525 to 700 men, women, and children. The sacred site is also home to an ecologically-unique grove of juniper trees where several Nevada Tribes still gather to connect with their ancestors, offer prayers, and hold healing ceremonies.