Climate change threatens our communities and treasured public lands. To combat this crisis, we need a swift transition to renewable energy: that includes phasing out fossil fuels, building energy-efficient infrastructure, and ramping up rooftop solar panels and larger-scale clean energy projects.
The good news? The West boasts abundant solar, wind and geothermal resources that can help us achieve this transition.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is currently revising the 2012 Western Solar Plan, which guides solar energy development on public lands in certain states. Revising and expanding the plan is a crucial step in shaping the future of renewable energy development on public lands.
The updated Western Solar Plan aims to help President Biden’s ambitious goal of a 100% clean electricity grid by 2035.
The Western Solar Plan will designate areas where BLM will consider solar project proposals, while also identifying sensitive areas that are off-limits to solar. It’s not perfect—but it’s a great starting point that can be improved on as we make the urgent switch to renewable energy.
The Biden-Harris administration announced in April that it had surpassed the congressional goal of permitting 25 gigawatts of renewable energy projects on public lands by 2025 over a year early.