It’s been noted in the past that some projects that some environmentalists see as wonderful in terms of renewable energy have run up against other environmentalists that worry about the negative impact these projects have on other aspects of the environment. And a very interesting story published yesterday in the Washington Post discusses another one, and talks about this tension.

The Post tells us about the proposed 460-mile SunZia transmission line, which would move enough wind and solar power from New Mexico to Arizona to remove the need for “a handful” of coal-powered energy plants. Sounds good, yeah?

But the line would also cross grasslands, skirt two national wildlife refuges and traverse the Rio Grande, all habitat areas rich in wildlife. The graceful sandhill crane, for example, makes its winter home in the wetlands of New Mexico’s Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, right next to the path of the proposed power line. And much of the area falls under the protection of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

And this has some people upset. But, certainly, environmentalists see both sides of the issue. Take two quotes from the article which show this.

“There is no free lunch when it comes to meeting our energy needs,” said Johanna Wald, a senior lawyer at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“Everybody in New Mexico loves the sandhill cranes,” said Ned Farquhar, a former aide to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson [ and now in charge of the BLM]. “We also love our renewable energy. So we have to figure this out.”

The good news is that since this is being built from the ground up, we have the ability to build this the right way, say both the people I just quoted. But it gets pricey. For example, for every mile the SunZia moves its proposed path, it costs another million dollars.

But, hey, sometimes it’s worth it, no? takepart to read the whole article, and then takepart with the Natural Resources Defense Council.