Interior
Secretary Ken Salazar announced July 24 that the Obama administration has
approved 17 tracts of federal lands in six western states for development of
commercial scale solar power projects, streamlining the process of
environmental review for developers seeking to site solar power plants on these
federal properties. California has 153,627 approved acres, Nevada has 60,395
acres, New Mexico has 29,964 acres, Utah has 18,658 acres, Colorado has 16,308
acres, and Arizona has 6,465 acres. Salazar described the plan as “a roadmap
for solar development for decades to come.”
Solar
Energy Industries Association President Rhone Resch said the plan is a “detailed
environmental analysis that will dramatically speed the permitting process.” Environmental
groups also responded favorably to the announcement. “This is a huge step
forward for the Bureau of Land Management,” said National Wildlife Federation’s
Policy Director for Public Lands Kate Zimmerman. Helen O’Shea of the National
Resources Defense Council echoed Zimmerman’s praise for the plan. “This is a
really big milestone in terms of environmentally sensitive and responsible
development.”
Salazar’s
Interior Department has already approved 17 utility scale solar power projects
which will produce electricity to power 1.7 million homes when completed. He
predicts that solar power developments on federal lands could eventually generate
enough energy for 7 million homes.
