WASHINGTON _ The Trump administration is threatening to scrap a major Obama-era agreement that sought to protect millions of acres of the California desert by placing sensitive areas off-limits to major solar- and wind-energy installations.
The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan covers more than 10 million acres and was designed to guide energy facilities to parcels where they are least likely to cause environmental damage. The administration's announcement that it will reconsider the plan touched off an immediate backlash.
"Scrapping the plan now is a complete waste of time and money, and I oppose this," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
The move by the administration comes as some energy firms complained the plan was too restrictive, placing off-limits land they have been seeking to develop.
The bid to revise the plan threatens to set off new tensions between conservation groups crusading to protect desert habitat and solar and wind developers eager to meet the West's escalating demand for clean energy.
