The plan would make 31 million acres of public lands in the U.S. West available for possible solar energy development.
It would revise existing guidelines from 2012, expanding solar projects to government-owned lands in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming — in addition to Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah where solar projects could already be constructed.
Of the 31 million acres identified in the plan, lands would be available for use only if they are within 15 miles of an existing or planned high-voltage power line or if they have been categorized as “previously disturbed.”
“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.
At the same time, the program would aim to “improve the solar energy project application process” by proactively excluding regions where protections would be necessary and by maintaining some site-specific flexibility.
The proposed strategy, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Stone-Manning said, would “drive responsible solar development to locations with fewer potential conflicts while helping the nation transition to a clean energy economy.”
Read more from our colleague Sharon Udasin at TheHill.com.
