The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has released a “Western Solar Plan” outlining a large expansion in solar energy development in 11 Western states.
The plan opens 31 million acres of public land to solar energy. It’s an update to the six-state Western Solar Plan released in 2012. Specific projects would still need to be authorized, but the plan is meant to steer solar developers away from areas that are environmentally or culturally sensitive. It identifies sites that are within 15 miles of an existing or proposed transmission line.
That’s an expansion of the zone considered in the plan’s original draft in January. The Center for Biological Diversity criticizes the plan for opening undisturbed landscapes to solar development, including part of the Arizona Strip.
But the Wilderness Society and The Nature Conservancy praise the shift toward clean energy, as does the Solar Energy Industries Association, which points out the BLM makes many more acres available for fossil fuel extraction.
The plan is now open for a 30-day protest period.
