LAS VEGAS (AP) - A federal judge in Las Vegas is sending plans for a big wind farm in the Mojave Desert back to the drawing board.
U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said in a ruling made final Oct. 30 the federal Bureau of Land Management didn't fully gauge the effect that 87 wind turbines could have on golden eagles, desert tortoises and bats.
The wind farm would be built by Virginia-based Apex Clean Energy on nearly 30 square miles of BLM land between the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Searchlight.
The Las Vegas Sun reports (http://bit.ly/1MNK1QX) the ruling requires a new permitting process.
Friends of Searchlight Desert and Mountains, Basin and Range Watch and Las Vegas resident Judy Bundorf fought the proposal for three years.
Their lawyer says it's hard to balance the benefits of renewable energy with threats to sensitive species and habitats.
Information from: Las Vegas Sun, http://www.lasvegassun.com
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