In the sun-soaked American West, solar energy has taken priority over mining rights, with lawmakers setting aside vast tracts of land for the development of solar projects across six states.
A directive published by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has excluded all new mining claims from proceeding within 303,900 acres of land designated as Solar Energy Zones, which were established in 2012 under President Obama’s utility-scale solar power development program on public lands.
Although technically earmarked for solar projects already, the BLM directive will ensure new claims on mining are off limits within these zones for the next 20 years.
17 Solar Energy Zones were set up on public land in six western states: Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and California, due to their excellent solar resources and access to transmission lines, as well as low cultural and biological impact. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), conducted at the beginning of the program identified a further 19 million acres of “in variance” potential land which could, on a case-by-case basis, be used for future commercial solar power projects.
“The Public Land Order protects the integrity of the Solar Energy Zones and helps us meet President Obama’s goal of green-lighting enough private renewable energy capacity on public lands to power more than 6 million homes by 2020,” said BLM Principal Deputy Director Neil Kornze.
The Bureau of Land Management’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations, so the production of clean and green solar energy over mining is a sound investment. According to the BLM, in 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue and public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.
A list of Solar Energy Zones (SEZs) can be viewed here.
