SACRAMENTO-Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. recently revealed that he has filed a brief asking a Federal court to deny the latest in a series of litigious maneuvers intended to prevent the completion of a key solar energy project in the Mojave desert. According to a prepared release, the project is expected to create up to 1,000 construction jobs and produce enough clean energy to power 140,000 California homes.

The Governor’s brief follows a lawsuit filed by the Western Watersheds Project in January 2011 against the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service and other related parties to block the 370 megawatt Ivanapah solar project due to desert tortoises in the area, according to a statement from the Governor’s office. Three weeks ago, a Federal judge denied the plaintiffs’ application for a temporary restraining order, the statement says. “The plaintiffs, however, continue to pursue a preliminary injunction to halt the project, which was approved by both state and federal officials.”
According to a brief, “California has set a bold course for its march toward reliance on renewable energy and the Ivanpah project is a very important step in this effort. California has a strong and demonstrated interest in increasing its renewable energy and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. The Court should take these interests into account, and deny Western Watersheds’ request for a preliminary injunction on the grounds that an injunction is not in the public interest.”