The Interior Department on Thursday announced several major steps in advancing the Biden administration’s plan to use federal lands to drive commercial-scale renewable energy development.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland told reporters Thursday during a conference call that the Bureau of Land Management has finalized a new rule designed to streamline permitting and cut by as much as 80 percent the acreage rental rates and capacity fees for wind and solar power projects.
The final rule, which was one of several renewable energy milestones announced Thursday by Haaland and other senior agency officials, will help drive major solar and wind energy projects to BLM lands, Haaland told reporters.
“Since day one of this administration, the president has been crystal-clear: The time to act on climate is now,” she said. “As we look to stem the worsening impacts of the climate crisis, we know that clean energy, including transmission lines, solar energy and storage projects, on public lands is helping communities across the country to be a part of the climate solution.”
