Native American objects threaten completion of the Genesis solar facility near the Colorado River. To avoid a lawsuit that could cripple the project, the two sides should negotiate a solution — and officials should begin talks with other tribes about projects planned for their areas.
Developers in the Mojave Desert last month were so keen on going forward with their project that they didn't consult with Native Americans about the ancient objects that might lie underground or conduct the required archaeological work in a thorough way. This has happened before: It happened most recently in downtown Los Angeles last year at the site of one of the area's oldest burial grounds. Now it's happening again 200 miles east, in the desert.
But there's a key difference between the two. In the case of La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, the new cultural center honoring Mexican and Mexican American history in L.A., there was little legitimate reason to rush the job once remains from a 19th century cemetery were discovered. In the desert near Blythe, similar discoveries — charred bones, grinding stones and charcoal, possible indicators of an early cremation site — threaten the vast Genesis solar project that has been fast-tracked by the U.S. government to generate needed energy.
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| A cross marks the site where ancient human remains were found near the $1-billion Genesis solar energy project 200 miles east of Los Angeles. |
Developers in the Mojave Desert last month were so keen on going forward with their project that they didn't consult with Native Americans about the ancient objects that might lie underground or conduct the required archaeological work in a thorough way. This has happened before: It happened most recently in downtown Los Angeles last year at the site of one of the area's oldest burial grounds. Now it's happening again 200 miles east, in the desert.
But there's a key difference between the two. In the case of La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, the new cultural center honoring Mexican and Mexican American history in L.A., there was little legitimate reason to rush the job once remains from a 19th century cemetery were discovered. In the desert near Blythe, similar discoveries — charred bones, grinding stones and charcoal, possible indicators of an early cremation site — threaten the vast Genesis solar project that has been fast-tracked by the U.S. government to generate needed energy.
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