New rule will facilitate renewable energy right-of-ways on public lands
May 8, 2013 | By
Travis Mitchell
A new U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regulation will make it easier to approve necessary right-of-way (ROW) requests for solar and wind development sites located on public lands. The Final Rule has been in development since 2011 and permits the BLM to segregate public lands for renewable energy ROWs in the event that a proposed site is under multiple uses. Segregation would be effective for two years. The BLM previously lacked the authority to authorize this type of segregation, which in turn led to uncertainty and hiccups in the ROW approval process. The rule noted that the Bureau has processed 21 solar and wind development ROWs on public lands over the past five years. Of these sites, two were discovered to contain existing mining claims. These findings came after the development sites were announced, but before the BLM could make any final decision. In the past two years alone, the BLM reports that 437 new mining claims were found on proposed wind energy application areas across seven states -- sites that were identified back in 2005. In terms of solar, 216 mining site claims were found to lie within solar sites designated in 2012. This new rule has the potential to significantly impact renewable energy transmission across the United States. This is becoming increasingly important, especially as state RPS mandates increase pressure on utilities to derive more of their generation from renewable sources. For more: © 2013 FierceMarkets. All rights reserved. http://www.fierceenergy.com |