Enviros draw lines in West for energy development

Environmental groups want vast swaths of the rural West off-limits to energy projects. They "fear that a boom in solar and wind energy could endanger wildlife," report Peter Henderson and Bernie Woodall of Reuters. "The western United States is home to sunny deserts and windy plains -- but also many endangered or threatened species."

The "Path to Green Energy" maps (right) were produced by the National Resources Defense Council and the National Audubon Society. They include many areas that would likely be off-limits to development, such as parks, but also include proposed wilderness areas and "areas that are key wildlife habitats -- where environmentalists might put up a fight with developers," Reuters reports.

The maps were developed with funds from Google Inc.'s philanthropic arm, google.org. They are available here via Google Earth, the basic version of which is downloadable for free.