SOLAR TODAY Blog

The Bureau of Land Management has lifted its month-old moratorium on applications to build solar and geothermal power plants on public land in the Southwest.

Faced with over 130 applications to build new facilities, at the end of May the Bureau announced it would take up to two years to evaluate potential environmental impacts. The hold was applauded by the Sierra Club and other habitat advocates, and by off-road vehicle proponents in Southern California and Nevada.

Renewable energy advocates pointed out that oil- and gas-drilling companies were under no similar constraint. When individual members of Congress noted that the timing — at the height of an energy crisis, — the Bureau said, in effect, “Never mind.” The agency will resume work on new applications and conduct its environmental review in parallel.

See the story in today’s New York Times.