Residents worried over future of conservation plan
EL CENTRO — Community members who had hoped to make their voices heard at Friday’s Bureau of Land Management meeting regarding the review of the Desert Renewable Conservation Plan were disappointed to find out they would have to submit those comments in writing.
“I think is kind of disrespectful to community members,” said Sarah Friedman, senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club. “There was no translator and no opportunity for the community to feel their voice was heard. It gives them no reason to feel confident on this government process. All the constituents who worked on the plan want to make it work, not break it apart.”
The desert land-use plan, which was finalized in the fall of 2016, took eight years to complete. It established areas for development of renewable energy, recreation and mining, and sought to preserve some of the region’s most fragile ecosystems.
Although it took nearly a decade to finalize, the plan is still in the process of being implemented. However, on Feb. 1 President Donald Trump directed the Department of the Interior to review the plan in hopes of removing some of the restrictions for energy development within the California desert.
The DRCP extends from Owen’s Lake to the north to Imperial County on the south.
“As we are working through the implementation of this plan, which was signed in 2016, we’ve started to hear from industry as well as from our agency that certain management actions within the plan are providing challenges. They are providing a small degree of obstacle for actually doing what we intended with this plan, which is energy development,” BLM biologist Jeremiah Karuzas said.
Advocates of the plan said they were concerned that by not allowing the public to make oral comments it can discourage community members from getting involved.
Officials did, however, encourage the residents to submit written comments at the event, by email or regular mail before the March 22 deadline.
“The comments are going to help us frame the work ahead of us and then guide us in our decision-making,” BLM’s California State Director Jerry Perez told those in attendance.
“We want to know what you think about it, what you find of value, what needs improvement and what changes you want to see. We want substantive and thoughtful comments.”
Meanwhile, BLM staff was on-hand to take questions individually about an array of different topics regarding the DRCP, including renewable energy, mining, conservation and recreation.
The prospect of fewer federal restrictions has raised concerns for many area residents. They fear that oil drilling, mining and fast-tracking environmental reviews could further deteriorate the air quality of the Imperial Valley, which has high numbers of residents with respiratory diseases such as asthma.
“We want to keep the protections that are already in place,” said Humberto Lugo, of Comite Civico del Valle. “This has to do with the new administration opening our lands to private industry, and I think the community members here are in opposition to amending this plan because they know what is going to ultimately happen.”
Karuzas reassured the public the comments will lead BLM in the best course possible. He said the public will be able to continue to engage in the process as the bureau plans to hold another meeting once it has reviewed all comments and has a more solid idea of what changes it may seek.
Ultimately, the state will be able to challenge any draft plan the BLM releases later in the process, Karuzas said. His presentation also gave a hint of what may come after the review, as he said the agency will look for comments regarding potential impacts, land-use for renewable energy and “comments for increasing opportunities for expanding multiple uses for the plan to identify if there is a need for additional opportunities.”
“The plan is really good and hasn’t been given a chance to work because it hasn’t been implemented yet, so to talk about changing something in it doesn’t make any sense,” Friedman said. “This went through a big public process, with input from scientists and community members over eight years. It is a landmark compromise between, energy, conservation and off-roading. We reached a compromise and we’re happy with it.”