Ten million acres of public land in California will be developed to support renewable energy.
US secretary of the interior Sally Jewell and California secretary for natural resources John Laird announced that the final environmental impact statement has been completed for phase I of the desert renewable energy conservation plan.
The area is in the Californian desert and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The plan is part of a multi-agency collaboration to streamline renewable energy, conserve desert ecosystems and promote outdoor activity.
The blueprint is looking for areas with high-quality solar, wind and geothermal energy potential and applications should include a streamlined permitting process.
Secretary Jewell said: “Using a landscape-level perspective, unprecedented collaboration and extensive public engagement, this phase of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan will facilitate clean energy development, creating new jobs while cutting carbon pollution.”
Historic land, areas of environmental concern and conservation land will be closed to renewable energy projects.
Secretary Laird said: “The state of California has worked closely for years with the U.S. Department of the Interior to reach this milestone.
“We salute our federal partners for this achievement. This foundational plan allows conservation, recreation and renewable energy development to fit together in a durable, balanced way.”
The blueprint is part of larger target as the Californian desert covers 22 million acres which if fully developed could generate enough renewable energy for the state to meet its climate change targets until 2040.
“The plan released today will advance state and federal conservation goals in the desert regions of California while facilitating the timely permitting of renewable energy projects in appropriate areas,” said Neil Kornze, director of the Bureau of Land Management.”
Image: Californian Valley (SunPower)
