The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has expanded the scope of potential solar energy development on federal lands, opening several western states to gigawatts of PV deployment.
Credit: Alliant Energy
In January 2024, the Department of the Interior released an update to the Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, also known as the Western Solar Plan, formalizing processes for solar construction on federal lands west of the Rocky Mountains . The Western Solar Plan was published in 2012 and initially opened designated federal lands in California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico to solar energy development. This latest update to the plan also expands federal lands in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming for solar energy development.
“Solar energy is an affordable and fast-growing part of the nation’s modern energy supply, helping the United States build a strong and resilient clean energy economy. The updated Western Solar Plan will ensure more efficient permitting for solar projects and provide clarity for project developers, while maintaining flexibility to adapt to local needs and concerns,” said Steve Feldgus, Assistant Secretary for Lands and mineral management, in a news release. .
The 2012 version of the Western Solar Plan created a framework for allowing solar projects larger than 20 MW on federal land in those six original states. It identified “solar zones,” or locations ripe for solar project development, and created parameters for PV project design. It also included protection measures to minimize the impact of the structure in those environments.
The updated Western Solar Plan indicates this 31 million hectares of federal land in these eleven states for potential solar deployment, representing nearly 13% of the federal land the agency oversees in the West. However, the BLM does not expect its renewable energy development plans to include more than 700,000 acres of that land by 2045. She prioritized selecting remote lands previously disturbed near transmission lines, avoiding parcels of special protection, cultural resources, critical wildlife habitat and other active uses.
Since 2021, the BLM has approved 45 renewable energy projects on federal lands (nine of which are solar), exceeding the national goal of permitting 25 GW of clean energy projects on federal lands by 2025. The Biden administration expects this momentum in federal project approvals to increase because of streamlined permitting processes.
The White House issued a statement in August 2024, claiming it has reduced the average time it takes to complete major environmental impact statements by six months. The administration also said the number of clean energy projects developed on public lands more than doubled compared to the Trump administration’s initial term.
“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 said director Tracy Stone-Manning in a press release. “It will encourage the responsible development of solar energy to locations with fewer potential conflicts while helping the nation transition to a clean energy economy, furthering the BLM’s mission to promote the health, diversity and productivity of public lands to be preserved for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations. ”
The BLM decided to adopt the updated Western Solar Plan on December 20, 2024. Barring any interference from the incoming presidential administration, the potential for solar energy deployment on federal lands could grow exponentially, substantially supporting the nation’s goal of powering the electric grid. clean energy in 2035.