Biden Administration Announces New Plan for Western Solar Development   

WASHINGTON — The Biden Administration announced the latest version of a proposed solar plan for western states. The update expands lands available for solar development from six to eleven states and seeks to balance renewable energy siting and conservation on the fragile landscapes of the West.

Following is a statement from Josh Axelrod, Senior Policy Advocate for the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

“This update to the Western Solar Plan represents an extraordinary effort by the Biden Administration to lay the groundwork for a net zero energy future that balances energy development, community concerns, wildlife impacts, and conservation. With these important changes, the Bureau of Land Management is creating significant efficiencies, added flexibility, and working to steer development to low-conflict, degraded lands.”

Background:

The Bureau of Land Management’s new plan enhances and clarifies the draft published earlier this spring. These important changes will guide the Bureau of Land Management’s approach to accelerating clean energy deployment on federal lands, while ensuring the impacts to communities, cultural resources, wildlife, and the environment are minimized to the greatest extent possible.

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).