Facing climate threats, California mulls renewable options

PALM SPRINGS, Calif., Sept. 24 (UPI) —

Temperature and precipitation changes in California’s Central Valley will harm the ecosystem while curbing hydropower potential, the Interior Department said.




Deputy Interior Secretary Michael Connor unveiled a report showing winter runoff will increase, but decrease in the spring because of changing temperature patterns. That means water reservoirs will fill up earlier in the season, which will have an impact on everything from irrigation to ecosystems and hydropower generation.




"This assessment is one of several that studies climate risks to water supplies and related resources in river basins in the western United Sates," Connor said in a Tuesday statement.




His comments coincided with the release by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and California Natural Resources Agency Secretary John Laird of a draft renewable energy and conservation plan covering more than 22 million acres in the California desert.




The proposal calls for setting aside land for nature conservation while at the same time assessing where it’s appropriate to develop solar, wind and geothermal energy projects.




"This is a strong and innovative blueprint that shows how federal and state agencies can collaborate to meet conservation and energy objectives on a landscape-scale while providing certainty to developers," Jewell said.




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