BLM Considering 31 Million Acres of U.S. Public Lands for Solar Power Development
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has published details of a plan to make millions of acres of public lands across the western U.S. available for development of solar power.
The Western Solar Plan, which revises guidelines from more than a decade ago, was published in the Federal Register on August 30. The BLM said the plan would make 31 million acres of public lands available for potential solar energy development.
The new proposal seeks to bring solar projects to 11 states. The plan would place development closer to existing or planned power transmission lines, and also looks at siting projects near land that has been previously accessed.
The updated proposal published Friday adds five states—Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming—to an original six where land has been considered for development. The original states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.
“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,” BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning said in a statement.
Ben Norris, vice president of regulatory affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), in a statement said, “The Bureau of Land Management opened 31 million acres of federal lands to renewable energy development, accepting many of SEIA’s recommendations to strike 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. While we’re still reviewing the details, we’re pleased to see that BLM listened to much of the solar industry’s feedback … 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.”
Several Scenarios Considered
The BLM in the proposal said it had examined six different scenarios before deciding on the potential for development on 31 million acres out of 162 million acres of public lands across the West. The document says that of those 31 million acres, the lands would be available for development only if they are within 15 miles of an existing or planned high-voltage transmission line, or if they have been categorized as “previously disturbed.”
The BLM also said its program would attempt to “improve the solar energy project application process” by excluding areas that would need protection. The agency also said it wants to be flexible regarding possible development sites.
Stone-Manning said the BLM wants to “drive responsible solar development to locations with fewer potential conflicts while helping the nation transition to a clean energy economy.”
The plan published Friday in the Federal Register is in the form of a Final Utility-Scale Solar Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. The updated proposal comes after a draft was issued for public comment in January of this year. The BLM said the draft received widespread input from multiple stakeholders, and included strategies to protect wildlife, as well as providing more information and clarity to the solar power industry.
The BLM said publication of the environmental impact statement begins a 30-day protest period, and also starts a 60-day consistency review window for governors of those 11 states.
Steve Feldgus, principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, which oversees the BLM, in a statement said, “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.” Feldgus said the plan focuses on “ensuring that permitting for solar projects moves faster and more efficiently,” while seeking to prevent conflicts and “striking the right balance.”
Norris said, “One of the fastest ways to decarbonize our grid is to greenlight well-planned clean energy development on federal lands, and the improvements to this environmental review document will certainly help. We will continue to work with BLM and other federal agencies to promote responsible clean energy development on public lands and streamline the permitting process.”
—Darrell Proctor is senior editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).