Tribes uncover ancestral remains by solar site in California

Tuesday, April 24, 2012  

After discovering ancestral remains near the site, two tribes are asking the Obama administration to stop a solar energy project in southern California.

The Colorado River Indian Tribes and the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe say the Bureau of Land Management fast-tracked the Gensis Solar Power Project. They are threatening to sue under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

"The problems inherent in this fast-track process are exacerbated by the sheer number of projects proposed," CRIT Chairman Eldred Enas said in a letter to President Barack Obama in January. "Our current count places over 40 proposed projects within a 50-mile radius of the Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation."

Four days after sending letter, tribal members found remains near the site. While reburying those remains, more were uncovered.

Get the Story:
Discovery of Indian artifacts complicates Genesis solar project (The Los Angeles Times 4/24)