Score One for Diane Feinstein!

Our local newspaper is reporting that Senator Feinstein is trying to put huge ... tracts of land ... off-limits to development. The land is out in the desert and was slated for all kinds of preposterous alternative energy projects.

BARSTOW, Calif. — California Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation Monday that would prohibit development on about 1 million acres of Southern California desert but allow construction of solar and wind farms on "suitable" desert land outside the protected area.

The article linked above is much more generous to the Senator than the one in print today. The print one discusses a whole slew of alternative energy projects that will get the axe because of this. Senator Feinstein, the print article claims, is following the wishes of an independent conservation group that bought the land from private owners with the intent of preserving it as is. When I used to donate to conservation groups, this was the kind of thing I gave money to do.

That's the way conservation should be. The private owners were properly compensated for their land instead of having it stolen through regulation and the courts. Holding it off limits to development is much better than paving the place so they can install enough windmills and solar panels to light 15 nightlights and run a dishwasher. If we want clean energy in abundance, we ought to be building nukes.

Meanwhile, right-wing blogs are sneering at the Senator for not walking the Global Warming walk. Meh.