It’s Solar Energy Vs. The Cows As Public Lands Battle Heats Up
Some solar opponents have argued that solar development is an inappropriate use of farmland because it introduces an industrial activity to a rural environment. In terms of environmental conservation, that argument is a bit disingenuous. Modern farming is an energy intensive, machine-driven operation that replaces natural habitats with chemically treated monoculture crops. Farmland is already commercialized, if not industrialized.
Botts also takes note of recent lawsuits against the Bureau of Land Management, aimed at forcing the agency to step up its efforts to monitor sensitive areas, ensure that fencing is in good repair, and remove cattle from areas designated as critical habitats for endangered species. Aside from bad actors who let their cattle graze illegally, Botts describes the elaborate measures undertaken by responsible ranchers to prevent their cattle from drifting into protected areas. However, the problem can still occur.