Great news for the solar industry! Today, the Bureau of Land Management took a significant step by revising a decade-old policy, opening up 22 million acres of federal land for responsible solar development. Ben Norris, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), highlighted the importance of this move.
He emphasized that the proposal corrects an oversight by identifying 200,000 acres of land near transmission infrastructure, streamlining solar development. Currently, there are 80 million acres of federal lands open to oil and gas development, making this shift crucial for balancing energy resources.
SEIA, advocating for changes to the Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for over 12 years, applauds BLM's efforts to gather stakeholder feedback. They see this as a positive step toward recognizing solar's pivotal role in the energy economy. The association will continue urging the Administration to streamline permitting, leveraging federal lands to boost job creation, enhance energy security, and improve conservation outcomes.
The solar industry welcomes the Bureau of Land Management's decision to open up federal lands for solar development. This revision not only addresses a historical policy but also identifies areas near transmission infrastructure, a key move to facilitate efficient solar development.
Ben Norris, from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), emphasizes the importance of this change, noting that the existing policy disproportionately favors oil and gas development, with 80 million acres available compared to the limited 22 million acres for solar.
SEIA, advocating for changes for over a decade, acknowledges BLM's efforts in gathering stakeholder feedback to strike a balance between development and conservation. This move is seen as a recognition of solar's crucial role in the nation's energy mix. SEIA will persist in urging the Administration to streamline permitting processes, utilizing federal lands to boost job creation, enhance energy security, and improve conservation efforts.
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