The US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) this week announced a list of 19 "priority" projects for developing renewable energy within the National System of Public Lands in 2011.
The priority list includes nine solar projects, five wind projects, and five geothermal projects throughout the western U.S. The solar projects’ potential output is about 2,673 megawatts (MW). The five wind projects total about 1,024 MW of potential output, and the five geothermal projects total about 489 MW of potential output.
To be a priority project, a company must demonstrate to the BLM that the project has progressed far enough to formally start the environmental review and public participation process, as well as have the potential to be cleared for approval by the end of 2011. In addition, the projects must be sited in an area that minimizes impacts to the environment, BLM said. The projects are largely low-to-medium conflict, in accordance with the BLM’s recent policy guidance on pre-application screening.
All renewable energy projects proposed for BLM-managed lands will receive the full environmental review required by the National Environmental Policy Act, and will include the same opportunities for public involvement required for all other land-use decision-making by the BLM.
Eight of the 19 priority projects fall into a category called “connected action” projects, which are projects located on private land. These are projects that require BLM authorization for offsite facilities and provide the opportunity to develop renewable energy without significantly impacting federal lands.
The BLM has recently developed several policies to assist in the processing of solar and wind energy applications on the public lands. BLM said these policies were developed from recommendations offered by federal and state agencies, industry and environmental groups based on lessons learned from last year’s “fast-track” renewable energy initiatives.
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Competing plans to fund the government through September both flopped yesterday, ensuring that deeper cuts to existing programs, including perhaps clean energy portfolios, will be proposed to avoid a federal shutdown.
Read the full New York Times story at the link below.
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