On April 11, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published final rules for leasing and rental rates for renewable energy projects on public lands. The final rules closely follow recommendations from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) to streamline clean energy development on federal lands.
The new rules will:
- Reduce rents and fees for renewable energy projects until 2035 and eliminate double payments for renewable energy developers;
- Extend lease terms for sustainable projects to 50 years;
- Eliminate competitive leasing requirements in priority development areas; And
- Make it easier to develop standalone energy storage projects on public lands.
Below is a statement from Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of SEIA, regarding BLM’s final rules:
“Today, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) codified SEIA’s recommendations to make it faster, easier and cheaper to build clean energy projects on public lands. We must use every lever we can to deploy clean energy efficiently, and our nation’s public lands remain an untapped resource. BLM’s new rules are a smart step forward and will help reverse decades of preferential treatment for fossil fuel interests.
“We commend BLM for working with the solar and storage industries to create thoughtful regulations that will help us strengthen the electric grid and deliver reliable clean energy to more consumers. We will continue to push for pragmatic solutions that will help us achieve our ambitious clean energy goals.”
News item from SEIA
