In response to the opinion piece entitled, A vision for smart-from-the-start solar on public lands in Nevada, published in the The Nevada Independent on April 17 and written by members of 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 impacted communities and stakeholders.” However, some very important stakeholders have been overlooked: mineral exploration and mining companies. Such companies have been exploring and mining on public lands in Nevada and other Western states for decades facilitating the effort to address climate change by mining and refining the resources needed for a transition to renewable energy, including solar energy projects. Start From The Start Coalition’s goal of “thoughtfully embracing the renewable energy potential on public lands” falls short when mineral exploration and mining companies, users of the public lands, are not added into the equation. If SFTSC truly believes in the value of “meaningful community input,” the mining and exploration industries along with the citizens that they employ and rural communities that they support cannot be overlooked.

Throughout Nevada there are many ongoing and proposed mineral exploration and mining projects. These prospective 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 has the potential to create numerous conflicts between proponents of solar energy projects and those of mineral resources development.

The BLM is obligated to avoid and minimize such conflicts to the maximum extent possible, in addition to reducing impacts on the landscape, as noted by the Smart From The Start Coalition. The solar plan will essentially withdraw large areas from mineral entry prior to any geologic evaluation for resources needed for the desired energy transition. While the Women’s Mining Coalition agrees with the Smart From The Start Coalition that setting aside land for solar fields might be prudent, it should not be done at the expense of accessing needed resources.

The Smart From The Start Coalition references the “president’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2035,” but this objective has been challenged as not attainable. Regardless of its attainability, this lofty goal cannot be reached without mineral resources, most of which exist within the Western U.S., and particularly in Nevada. Geology determines where mineral deposits are located.

Many deposits are rare and hard to find because they are buried. The odds of discovering a mineral deposit that can be developed into an economic mine are exceptionally slim. The National Academy of Sciences estimates that only 1 in 1,000 prospects will contain sufficient mineralization to become a mine. Solar energy projects have considerably more siting flexibility than mineral resource exploration and development projects. Without BLM’s consideration of mineral exploration and mining areas, the Western Solar Plan interferes with the nation’s critical minerals needs and objectives.

At a time when there is widespread recognition of how the energy transition is creating skyrocketing demand for many critical minerals, the BLM must find a way to balance solar energy development projects with mineral resource development projects to supply the nation with the minerals that are indispensable components of electric vehicles, battery energy storage systems, solar panels, wind turbines, transmission lines and all other equipment and infrastructure needed for the transition to renewable energy.

The Women’s Mining Coalition is a grassroots organization with more than 200 members nationwide. Our mission is to advocate for today’s modern domestic mining industry, which is essential to our nation. Women’s Mining Coalition members work in all sectors of the mining industry, energy generation, manufacturing, transportation and service industries.

As the generation of solar power is becoming more prevalent in many areas across the country, particularly in the Western states, the members of Women’s Mining Coalition have concerns regarding the potential conflicts between solar energy and exploration for and mining of mineral resources, in particular as related to many current exploration and mining projects as well as future projects across the 11-state area covered by the Draft Utility-Scale Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement drafted by the BLM as part of the Western Solar Plan.

These conflicts must not be overlooked during the siting process; including all stakeholders in further discussions would be an effective first step in resolving potential conflicts.

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

The Nevada Independent welcomes informed, cogent rebuttals to opinion pieces such as this. Send them to [email protected].