BLM Western Solar Plan Fast Tracks 31 Million Acres for Solar Development

Sep 19, 2024

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Why you should submit here, even if you already have elsewhere!

We keep them honest. If everyone only comments through the government/agency site, we have to take their word on how many comments were received. By submitting through BRC, we create an independent record of our community’s response that can’t be buried or under-reported.

We protect your voice. If this fight ends up in court, having our own record of submitted comments means we don’t have to wait a year or more for a government agency to turn over documents. We can move quickly with proof that thousands of you spoke up.

We keep you in the loop. When you comment through our site, we can send you updates on what comes next. If you only use the government/agency site, you’re depending on them to tell you what happens next — and they won’t.

Double coverage matters. Even if you’ve already commented through the government/agency site, submitting through ours makes your voice count twice — once in their system, and once in ours. That way they know the OHV community is watching and tracking every move.

For years, BRC has been trusted to run action alerts like this. Thousands of members and supporters have used this system effectively to defend access to public lands. This isn’t about collecting your info — it’s about building the strongest, most transparent record possible to hold agencies accountable.

The Bureau of Land Management has released it’s final draft of the Western Solar Plan. This plan will prioritize areas in which solar farms could potentially be built. 31 million acres will be available for streamlined permitting for solar development on these public lands. They are prioritizing lands near transmission lines and previously disturbed lands avoiding sensitive and protected lands. Lands have to be either close to transmission lines or in previously disturbed lands. They excluded lands with a grade of 10% of higher, not all special recreation management areas would be excluded. The BLM altered the definitions for transmission line proximity and previously disturbed land in order to accommodate and include more lands within this plan. 

The requirements to be granted streamlined permitting and approval for solar developments: Transmission lines within 15 miles of existing or planned transmission lines or energy corridor or be on previously disturbed public lands, aka where we recreate.

The standards in which they used to determine “disturbed lands” are derived from the Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP)e ecological potential data maps. These datasets show the departure of current vegetation conditions relative to expected vegetation cover in the absence of anthropogenic disturbance. These datasets are often interpreted to show the degree of vegetation departure since human settlement.

Shortly after the Western Solar Plan was released, several new solar proposals were released:

Below are a list of current solar proposals that the BLM is accepting public comment on.

Cowboy Solar Project September 30, 2024

Easley Solar September 20, 2024

Esmeralda Seven Solar October 24, 2024

Samantha Solar September 19, 2024

Final Western Solar Plan 9/30/24

The Following Table Shows How Each State Will be Impacted

Green Areas Are Fast Tracked for Solar Development

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