Solar energy projects will be blazing through the regulatory process now that the Obama administration has put the finishing touches on a plan to fast track those deals on public lands. As such, 17 sites in six southwestern states may become home to new green energy plants.

It all falls under a grand plan to give greater access to energy developers who want to explore federal lands. Green energy projects are now the highest priority, all in keeping with President Obama’s campaign pledges. But he is also sensitive to criticism that such policies have been biased against the growth of fossil fuels, which has prompted his team to award leases to oil and gas producers both offshore and on land. Under any set of circumstances, streamlining the permitting process seeks to avoid duplicative oversight while maintaining a rigorous protocol. 

“Developing America’s solar energy resources is an important part of President Obama’s commitment to expanding American-made energy, increasing energy security, and creating jobs,” says Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “This new roadmap builds on that commitment by identifying public lands that are best suited for solar energy projects, improving the permitting process, and creating incentives to deliver more renewable energy to American homes and businesses.”

Specifically, the U.S. Departments of Interior and Energy have issued their final environmental impact statement for solar development in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. The Interior Department says that it has subsequently approved 17 utility-scale solar energy projects that when built will produce nearly 5,900 megawatts of energy.

At the same, the administration says that it has heard the public comments about granting such approvals in those places that are “smart from the start.” That simply means it will evaluate each deal thoroughly and with the goal in mind of limiting any environmental harm. As such, it has said that 78 million of public lands will be out of bounds as it relates to solar development. For context: 285,000 acres of public lands will be open to such construction, which has the potential to produce nearly 24,000 megawatts of electricity.

Ecological Awareness

Fast track projects are described as those in which the companies involved have shown that they are ready to formally start the environmental review and public participation process. Streamlining the practice does not imply that the public interest is dismissed. It simply means that developers have performed such preliminary duties as securing their financing agreements and completing their environmental impact analyses before they seek out regulatory approval.

California, which has a robust renewable energy mandate, is at the center of the policy. Altogether, 70,000 megawatts of new generation have been proposed there. Among those that have been expedited is BrightSource Energy‘s Ivanpah 392 megawatt solar project in the Mojave Desert.

But such deals have some opposition — and it’s coming from those in green circles, who say that certain ones should be relocated. Take BrightSource’s project that is now under construction and which has 400,000 mirrors to be located on pristine land in the California desert: While the location has near-perfect conditions for generating and transmitting solar power, the developer had to placate scientists and green groups who said it would kill off wildlife there.

As such, environmental groups are advocating for solar projects but want to ensure that the damage those deals would do to the local lands is minimized. Generally, groups such as the Wilderness Society say that brownfield sites are better. It notes that while public lands have a role to play in harnessing the nation’s solar power, many of those areas may be ill-suited for such purposes because of their unmatched ecological and lifestyle qualities.

“As America moves towards a clean energy future it is paramount that we balance energy development with the dire need to protect our last remaining wildlands,” said Chase Huntley, clean energy policy director at The Wilderness Society. “The Interior Department’s strong leadership puts smart planning at the forefront. This is the quickest route to meeting the renewables targets set by Congress consistent with protecting our dwindling undeveloped wildlands.”

The administration wants to see new solar projects popping up while the environmentalists want the same -- but to see that done in places where the ecological footprint is lessened. Now, oil and gas developers seek similar preferences, which the administration appears willing to grant. The permitting process is getting tweaked and in all such cases, it is aiming to speed up viable deals without cutting any corners. 


EnergyBiz Insider is named a 2012 Finalist for Original Web Commentary presented by the American Society of Business Press Editors. The column is also the Winner of the 2011 Online Column category awarded by Media Industry News, MIN. Ken Silverstein has been named one of the Top Economics Journalists by Wall Street Economists.

Twitter: @Ken_Silverstein

energybizinsider@energycentral.com