BLM Releases Plan to Develop Solar on 31 Million Acres of Western Land

The historic justification for federal ownership of public lands is that the feds will do a better job of protecting these than states, or private interests. Here we see federal bureaucrats planning solar farms across vast tracts, turning these over to private groups subsidized under ‘Green New Deal’ ideologies. Blighting huge areas with boondoggles often awarded to cronies hardly qualifies as sound "stewardship of public land held in trust". It's yet another reason to return control of federal lands to the states.

NOTE: this article was originally published to v-magazine-usa.com on September 3, 2024.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced its proposed roadmap for solar energy development on public lands, designed to expand solar projects on public lands.

This release is the proposed updated Western Solar Plan, which was first published in 2012 and designed to guide responsible solar development on public lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. More recently it was expanded to include Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. It would make over 31 million acres of public lands available for potential solar development.

The release, now called Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), comes as the administration releases new data demonstrating improved permitting processes. The solar permitting process is one of the greatest bottlenecks to the deployment of solar projects in the U.S. Earlier this month, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to advance the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, a bipartisan piece of legislation aimed at improving permitting for energy infrastructure projects.

The proposed Western Solar Plan is a step toward the goal of achieving a 100% clean electricity grid by 2035. Earlier this year, BLM surpassed the goal of permitting more than 25 GW of clean energy projects on public lands, and the updated Western Solar Plan will support continued progress on responsible permitting.

“The updated Western Solar Plan will help build modern, resilient energy infrastructure that creates a strong clean energy economy and protects our communities from the worsening impacts of climate change,” said principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management, Steve Feldgus.“Through extensive planning and collaboration, we’re not only protecting our public lands but also ensuring that permitting for solar projects moves faster and more efficiently, avoiding conflicts and striking the right balance as we advance clean energy and safeguard the environment.”

The proposed updated plan, developed with much public input, will guide BLM’s management of solar energy proposals and projects on public lands. The BLM incorporated input from many stakeholders and made updates that further protect wildlife habitats and migration corridors and other key resources, while providing clarity to industry about low-conflict areas and project design approaches to guide responsible development.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) weighed in on the plan, accepting what Ben Norris, vice president of regulatory affairs at SEIA said strikes “a better balance between its conservation and clean energy deployment goals”.

“For over 12 years SEIA has advocated for leveling the playing field for renewables and increasing public land access for solar and storage development,” said Norris. “While we’re still reviewing the details, we’re pleased to see that BLM listened to much of the solar industry’s feedback and added 11 million acres to its original proposal. While this is a step in the right direction, fossil fuels have access to over 80 million acres of public land, 2.5 times the amount of public land available for solar.”

The BLM said the plan intentionally drives development closer to transmission lines or on previously disturbed lands to avoid protected lands, sensitive cultural resources and important wildlife habitat.

Part of every proposed solar development is an important public comment period. For example, early in 2024 the BLM sought comment on environmental analysis done for the 400 MW Rough Hat projectproposed by Candela Renewables. Located on approximately 2,400 acres, 38 miles west of Las Vegas, the project would generate enough electricity to power approximately 74,000 homes and also will include up to a 200 MW battery energy storage system.

The Western Plan, first developed 12 years ago, now reflects changes in technology and addresses the growing demand for clean energy in the U.S.

“The updated Western Solar Plan is a responsible, pragmatic strategy for developing solar energy on our nation’s public lands that supports national clean energy goals and long-term national energy security,” said BLM director Tracy Stone-Manning. “It will drive responsible solar development to locations with fewer potential conflicts while helping the nation transition to a clean energy economy, furthering the BLM’s mission to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.”

According to the BLM, the Biden-Harris administration has approved 40 renewable energy projects on public lands of which nine are solar with a total capacity of approximately 29 GW of power or enough to power over 12 million homes. This year BLM also issued a final Renewable Energy Rule that will lower consumer energy costs and the cost of developing solar and wind projects, improve project application processes, and incentivize developers to continue responsibly developing solar and wind projects on public lands.

Publication of the Final Utility-Scale Solar Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendments initiates a 30-day protest period and 60-day governor’s consistency review. Following resolution of any remaining issues identified in this phase, the BLM will publish the Record of Decision and Final Resource Management Plan Amendments.