Solar panels on public lands in Nevada. Photo Credit: BLM Southern Nevada District Office
(SEIA) WASHINGTON, D.C. — On August 29, 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a final environmental review of the Western Solar Plan, also known as the Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).
The Solar PEIS is a foundational environmental planning document that determines where solar development can occur on public lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Following is a statement from Ben Norris, vice president of regulatory affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) on the developments from BLM:
Today, 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 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.
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.
The Department of the Interior stated:
Developed with substantial public input, the proposed updated Western Solar Plan will guide BLM’s management of solar energy proposals and projects on public lands. It would make over 31 million acres of public lands across 11 western states available for potential solar development, driving development closer to transmission lines or on previously disturbed lands and avoiding protected lands, sensitive cultural resources and important wildlife habitat.
Steering project proposals away from areas where they may conflict with other resources or uses will help ensure responsible development, speed the permitting process, and provide greater predictability to the solar energy industry. The plan updates and expands the original 2012 Western Solar Plan in order to reflect changes in technology and meet the higher demand for solar energy development. This plan analyzes five additional western states (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming), in addition to the six states analyzed in the original plan.
“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.”
No solar developments are authorized through this planning effort; proposed projects will still undergo site-specific environmental review and public comment. This Final Utility-Scale Solar Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement follows a draft published in January 2024 for public comment, with input from a wide range of stakeholders helping BLM to make additional updates that will help protect wildlife habitats, migration corridors, and other key resources while providing clarity to industry about low-conflict areas and project design approaches to guide responsible development.
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 the resolution of any remaining issues identified in this phase, the BLM will publish the Record of Decision and Final Resource Management Plan Amendments.
For more information on the updated Western Solar Plan, visit the project’s National NEPA Project Register (ePlanning) website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2022371/510.
The American Clean Power Association (ACP) also released a statement. After the BLM announced its final draft of the Western Solar Plan, Chief Policy Officer of the ACP, Frank Macchiarola, said:
Tagged with solarACP appreciates the time BLM has dedicated to reviewing the permitting process for solar development and recognizes the flexibility added into the project design features and additional acres made available in the final plan. However, we remain concerned by the exclusion of some areas which could otherwise allow for development in ways compatible with resource protection.
The stakes are high as energy demand rises and we work toward a clean energy future. Inclusion of federal lands for development is a critical component in the path forward. ACP looks forward to continuing to work with BLM and all stakeholders to reduce unnecessary regulatory hurdles that hamper development of clean energy resources on public lands.