According to Sean Gallagher, one of the reasons for his company to choose the si

While some environmental groups argue for the development of such alternative energy sources as wind, solar, geothermal and bio-fuels, others warn of the negative ecological impacts that might come from large-scale projects. Such appears to be the case with the Tessera project, planned to be one of the biggest solar developments in the American southwest.
    Company vice president for market strategy and regulatory affairs, Sean Gallagher says the objections raised by some environmentalists are understandable, given the scale of the project, and Tessera is prepared to address their concerns.
    One of the main groups raising objections to the Mojave project is California Unions for Reliable Energy, which sent its own biologist to the project site. At a recent hearing of the California Energy Commission, biologist Scott Cashen said the company had not adequately assessed the impact the solar farm could have on desert wildlife.
    Another southern California-based group, The Wildlands Conservancy, also raised questions about why the project was being sited on pristine desert land near federally protected conservation areas. Among the animals environmentalists say could be adversely affected by the solar power development would be the desert tortoise and the fringe-toed lizard.
    But Sean Gallagher says his company chose this site both because of its suitability for transmitting power over nearby Southern California Edison lines and because it is not totally undisturbed land.