LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Trump administration has approved the largest solar energy project in the U.S. and one of the biggest in the world despite objections from conservationists who say it will destroy thousands of acres of habitat critical to the survival of the threatened Mojave desert tortoise in Nevada.
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said Monday the $1 billion Gemini solar and battery storage project northeast of Las Vegas is expected to produce enough electricity to power 260,000 households and annually offset greenhouse emissions of about 83,000 cars.
He says it will create about 2,000 jobs and inject an estimated $712.5 million in the economy.
