BLM scopes land for AZ renewables

February 22, 2012 — 8:08am ET

By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released the draft plan for the Restoration Design Energy Project (RDEP), which identifies lands across Arizona most suitable for wind and solar power projects.

The plan focuses on areas that are previously disturbed or have low natural and cultural resource conflicts. The public has 90 days to comment on the draft.

"With some of the most significant solar resources in the world, Arizona's renewable energy economy has great potential," Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said in a statement. "This blueprint for Arizona will help focus activity in the places where it makes the most sense to develop renewable energy, both for the companies and for the landscape. Early, comprehensive analysis of resource potential, transmission, and sensitive areas is simply good government. I am confident this smart planning will pay dividends for the state now and far into the future."

The Draft proposes a baseline for environmental protection measures for facilities sited in these areas. The areas could be used for wind or solar projects, both utility-scale (more than 20 megawatts) or smaller distributed-scale development. The preferred alternative identified in the Draft calls for designating lands within five miles of utility corridors and existing transmission lines or near a point of power demand.

For more:
- see the draft
- see this article