A massive federal plan to build solar projects on 31 million acres of public lands was proposed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
In late August, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a proposed roadmap for development of large-scale solar facilities on public lands. The plan earmarks 31 million acres across 11 states deemed suitable for solar project development.
The planning area is located within the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming covering approximately 162 million acres of public land.
BLM performed comprehensive Environmental Impact Studies (EIS) on lands spanning the 11 Western states. It excluded approximately 131 million acres of land from solar development due to findings of potential environmental and habitat destruction.
The remaining 31 million acres marked suitable for solar development meet several requirements. First, project sites with slopes exceeding 10 degrees are excluded. Second, projects must be within 15 miles of an existing of planned transmission line of at least 69 kV. Third, “previously disturbed” lands based on the final EIS were made eligible for development.
BLM said it will continue to manage other important land uses in these zones, including recreational use, agricultural use like grazing, resource protection, mineral development, and more.
If the plan marks development in an area that members of the public believe should remain preserved, BLM accepts documentation of protest. More information on submitting protests can be found here.
Ben Norris, vice president of regulatory affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said the plan 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 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.”
BLM has already advanced proposals for 6 GW of solar projects on public lands.
Also read BLM seeks comment on two large-scale solar projects.
