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8/20/2019 A 4-Point Plan for Responsibly Expanding Renewable Energy Production on America’s Public Lands and Oceans

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A 4-Point Plan for ResponsiblyExpanding Renewable Energy

Production on America’s PublicLands and Oceans

By David J. Hayes and Nidhi Thakar August 2015


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A 4-Point Plan for ResponsiblyExpanding Renewable EnergyProduction on America’sPublic Lands and Oceans

By David J. Hayes and Nidhi Thakar August 2015


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1 Introduction and summary

3 Background: Key ingredients for the successful developm

of renewable energy on public lands

10 Recommendations

18 Conclusion

20 Endnotes

Contents


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1 Center for American Progress | A 4-Point Plan for Responsibly Expanding Renewable Energy Production on America’s Public Lands and Oc

Introduction and summary

In less han seven years o he Obama adminisraion, an unprecedened collabora-

ion beween privae-secor innovaors, ederal policymakers, and orward-hink-

ing sakeholders has sparked a renewable energy revoluion on America’s public

lands and waers. Whereas coal, oil, gas, and hydropower resources on axpayer-

owned public lands have been he primary ocus or boh developers and regula-

ors or much o he pas cenury, he Obama adminisraion has, or he firs ime,

aciliaed he permiting and consrucion o large-scale solar, wind, and geoher-

mal projecs ha are delivering clean, affordable power o American communiies.

o help mee rising demand or renewable energy, Presiden Barack Obama’s

Deparmen o he Inerior has permited more han 50 uiliy-scale renewable

energy projecs on public lands since 2009. When ully consruced, hese projecs

will deliver approximaely 15,000 megawats o new, clean renewable energy

enough o power more han 2 million homes.1 Wih some o he world’s larges

solar and wind projecs moving orward on public lands, he parnership beween

he ederal governmen and renewable energy developers has conribued o he

naion’s wenyold increase in solar generaion and hreeold increase in wind

generaion since 2009.2

Wih he Unied Saes emerging as a global leader in he shif o low-carbon uel

sources, and wih projecions o rapid growh in renewable energy demand over

he nex several decades, now is he ime o assess how he ederal governmen

can build on is successul renewable energy programs on America’s public lands.

Specifically, how can he Deparmen o he Inerior and oher ederal land man-

agemen agencies cemen recen gains and urher accelerae responsible renew-

able energy developmen on he naion’s public lands and waers?

is repor answers ha quesion by ideniying he key ingrediens ha have

spurred renewable energy developmen on public lands since 2009. Building on

he adminisraion’s record o accomplishmen, he Cener or American Progress


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proposes a our-poin plan o accelerae he consrucion o renewable energy

projecs on America’s public lands and oceans in he righ way and in he righ

places. Below are he our elemens o CAP’s recommended plan o acion:

1. Institutionalize recent renewable energy reforms. o provide cerainy or

developers and sakeholders, ederal policymakers should insiuionalizehrough legislaion and regulaion he permiting reorms ha have acceler-

aed he review and approval o responsibly sied, large-scale renewable energy

projecs on public lands and waers.

2. Designate more renewable energy zones on public lands and waters. Federal

policymakers should ideniy and use new renewable energy zones o prioriize

and incenivize he siing o uure projecs. Specific iniiaives should include:

ideniying a leas 10 new, low-conflic Solar Energy Zones o aciliae he

siing o major new solar projecs on public lands; expanding offshore wind

energy zones o cover deeper waers off he coas o Maine and in he PacificOcean o aciliae he deploymen o floaing urbine echnology; and speciy-

ing low-conflic wind and geohermal energy zones on public lands hroughou

he Unied Saes.

3. Develop community-based, distributed renewable energy resources on public

lands with interested nearby communities. rough new parnerships and

pilo projecs, ederal policymakers should work wih local communiies o sie

renewable energy projecs on adjacen public lands.

4. Accelerate investment through a new revolving loan fund. Federal policymak-

ers should esablish a revolving loan und ha aciliaes he financing o credi-

worhy renewable energy projecs on public lands and waers ha employ

proven echnologies.

“We have a choice. We can remain the world’s leading importer o oil, or

we can become the world’s leading exporter o clean energy. We can hand

over the jobs o the uture to our competitors, or we can confont what

they have already recognized as the great opportunity o our time: Tenation that leads the world in creating new sources o clean energy will be

the nation that leads the 21st century global economy. Tat’s the nation I

want America to be.”

– President Barack Obama, March 27, 20093


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Background: Key ingredients for

the successful development of

renewable energy on public lands

e quie revoluion ha has ushered in huge, new renewable energy projecs

on U.S. public lands did no happen by acciden. From he ouse, he Obama

adminisraion’s Inerior Deparmen, working closely wih oher ederal agencies,

he Whie House, saes, and ribes, inroduced a variey o reorms o promoe

renewable energy as a key par o is public lands energy porolio. e resul is a

more efficien permiting process or renewable energy projecs, more cerainy

or developers and invesors, and beter overall environmenal resuls.

Key ingrediens or hese successes have included he prioriizaion o renewable

energy developmen on public lands; he deploymen o innovaive inra- and

ineragency permiting approaches or he siing o new projecs and relaed rans-

mission aciliies; applicaion o landscape-level planning echniques o expedie

he siing o renewable energy projecs in he righ way and in he righ places ; and

sraegic use o financing resources. ese approaches, which provide some o he

building blocks or CAP’s our-poin plan, are reviewed briefly below.

Prioritization of renewable energy development on public lands

In early 2009, he Inerior Deparmen issued Secrearial Order 3285, which

idenified renewable energy developmen as a prioriy or he agency.4 e

order direced he deparmen o move orward wih he imely and responsible

developmen o renewable energy resources on he public lands ha i manages.

I urher esablished a ask Force on Energy and Climae Change co-chaired by

he depuy secreary and counselor o he secreary, ensuring ha hen-Secreary

Ken Salazar’s renewable energy iniiaive would receive op-level atenion in hedeparmen.5 Order 3285 was he impeus or many o he creaive and aggressive

policies on renewable energy ha ollowed.


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Deploying innovative agency approaches for permitting large-

scale renewable energy and transmission projects

e Obama adminisraion’s orward-hinking permiting processes or large-

scale renewable energy projecs on public lands have drasically acceleraed

he viabiliy o renewable energy in he Unied Saes. Prior o 2009, no oheradminisraion had developed land managemen policies ha bolsered renewable

energy developmen on public lands and mainained a responsible and balanced

approach o developmen.

As highlighed in a recen Sanord Law School repor, effecive ineragency

coordinaion was needed o implemen a successul permiting sraegy, given

ha muliple bureaus in he Inerior Deparmen needed o sign off on renewable

energy permis, including agencies ha manage resources ha migh be affeced

by major renewable energy projecs, such as he U.S. Fish & Wildlie Service, he

Naional Park Service, and he Bureau o Indian Affairs.6

Building on he issuance o Secrearial Order 3285, he Inerior Deparmen

ormed a srike eam made up o senior decision makers rom each bureau o he

deparmen, managed by a represenaive rom he Inerior Deparmen’s Office o

he Secreary, o develop and coordinae an efficien permiting process ha con-

sidered he ineress o all affeced agencies and sakeholders.7 A he core o he

srike eam’s success was he hands-on involvemen and accounabiliy o senior

saff in he process.8

e Inerior Deparmen’s ineragency permiting process also insiuionalized

early planning and conflic prevenion by bringing in cooperaing bureaus and

key sakeholders; hey me wih projec developers on he ron end o ideniy

poenial aal flaws in projecs and o remedy or work around hese flaws.9 e

early engagemen o ineresed paries provided more ime and flexibiliy o work

hrough concerns and pialls.

ese and oher permiting reorms produced remarkable resuls, including slash-

ing he ime needed o permi wind and solar projecs by more han halrom

our years o one-and-a-hal years. Addiionally, he Inerior Deparmen me hedeadline mandaed by he Energy Policy Ac o 2005 o 10,000 megawats o new

renewable energy hree years early, approving more han 50 commercial-scale

renewable energy projecs on public lands.10


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In addiion o he Inerior Deparmen’s ocus on improving he permiting o

projecs on lands ha i manages, he Obama adminisraion launched wo impor-

an cross-agency permiting iniiaives o aciliae he developmen o major

renewable energy-relaed inrasrucure projecs, such as ransmission projecs.

Firs, he adminisraion creaed he ineragency apid esponse eam orransmission, or T, consising o nine ederal agenciesincluding he

Inerior Deparmen, he Whie House Council on Environmenal Qualiy, and

he Deparmen o Energy, among oherso beter coordinae he permiting,

review, and consulaion processes or new ransmission lines ha are needed o

deliver renewable energy rom remoe areas o major populaion ceners.11

Second, he Obama adminisraion developed a broad-based inrasrucure per-

miting iniiaive or large inrasrucure projecs o all ypes, including uiliy-scale

renewable energy projecs. Led by he Whie House’s Office o Managemen and

Budge, his iniiaive uilizes many groundbreaking approaches o cu permitingime and red ape or renewable energy projecs, including improved ineragency

coordinaion o increase he pace a which decisions are made; synchronized

reviews o inrasrucure projecs among agencies; and he esablishmen o an

online Federal Inrasrucure Projecs Permiting Dashboard o aciliae agency

coordinaion and sakeholder inpu on projecs.12

While hese permiting reorms are widely lauded and have achieved imporan

successes, hey have no been insiuionalized: ere remains a significan ques-

ion regarding wheher hese reorms will survive a change in adminisraions.

Using landscape-level planning techniques to expedite the siting of

renewable energy projects in the right way and in the right places

One o he Obama adminisraion’s mos imporan permiting innovaions is is

“Smar rom he Sar” iniiaive, which has uilized landscape-level reviews and

planning o aciliae he siing o renewable energy projecs in he righ way and

in he righ places.13 Smar rom he Sar calls on land managemen agencies o

work wih ineresed sakeholders o ideniy he bes business- and environmen-riendly locaions or renewable energy in a regionalso known as renewable

energy zonesand hen o incenivize he developmen o new renewable proj-

ecs in hose areas. Examples include he Bureau o Land Managemen’s Wesern

Solar Plan and he Bureau o Ocean Energy Managemen’s Alanic offshore wind

iniiaive, discussed below.


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Western Solar Plan

Under he adminisraion o Presiden George W. Bush, applicaions or solar

energy projecs on public lands languished, while he oil and gas indusries

boomed. e Bush adminisraion approved more han 73,000 oil and gas leases

over five years bu did no issue a single lease or a major solar energy projec.14

In ac, he ransiion rom he Bush adminisraion lef a legacy o approximaely

400 pending applicaions or he developmen o solar projecs on public lands.15

Upon aking office, Presiden Obama and his adminisraion used he srike eam

described above o ideniy he mos promising o he pending applicaions. ey

recognized, however, ha o mainain he inegriy o he public lands and mee

he needs o renewable energy companies and sakeholders, a more sysemaic

approach was needed, raher han simply soliciing applicaions or projecs any-

where on millions o acres o public lands.

Accordingly, Secreary Salazar reocused a solar energy ProgrammaicEnvironmenal Impac Saemen, or PEIS, ha had been iniiaed in he prior

Bush adminisraion and convered i ino a landscape-level review ha covered

nearly 100 million acres o public lands in six souhwesern saes.16 e solar PEIS

developed crieria or “Solar Energy Zones” in which developers would be encour-

aged o develop projecs while also ideniying areas ha were unsuiable or solar

developmen, as well as so-called variance areas in which developers could file

applicaions and seek sie-specific approvals.17

e Deparmen o he Inerior finalized he solar PEIS in 2012 and issued an

accompanying ecord o Decision known as he Wesern Solar Plan.18 Under

he Wesern Solar Plan, 19 low-conflic Solar Energy Zones have been idenified

near ransmission aciliies in which he plan encouraged projec applicaions.19 I

offered a variey o incenives, including he opporuniy or developers o “ier off

o ” he programmaic environmenal review o hose zones, enabling some projec

developers o move orward using an environmenal assessmen, raher han a ull-

blown environmenal impac saemen.20

ecen examples o his successul sraegy include he permiting o hree uiliy-

scale solar energy projecs in he Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone in Clark Couny,Nevada. Because o he spadework ha included deailed environmenal analy-

seswhich was compleed in ideniying he Solar Energy Zonehe hree


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projecs were able o complee environmenal assessmens in only six monhs.

is ime rame is less han one-hird o he usual wo or more years ypically

required o complee a sie-specific environmenal impac saemen.21

e Wesern Solar Plan envisioned ha he Inerior Deparmen would work wih

solar developers o ideniy addiional Solar Energy Zones in souhwesern saes, bu no addiional zones have been idenified since 2013.

Atlantic offshore wind initiative

From an early sage, he Obama adminisraion also emphasized ha srong wind

resources off he Alanic Coas provided an imporan renewable energy source

near he naion’s larges populaion ceners. Offshore wind developmen was par-

icularly atracive because i has proven o be more efficien han onshore wind

developmen due o sronger and more reliable wind currens over he ocean. I isfirmly esablished as a major energy source in Europe.22

Unorunaely, as wih land-based solar projecs, he ederal governmen previ-

ously had no placed a prioriy on reviewing and approving offshore wind proj-

ecs. In he absence o ederal guidance or suppor, applicaions or offshore wind

armssome o which had been filed in conroversial, high-conflic areas off he

Eas Coaswere languishing, while oher developers remained on he sidelines.23

Once Presiden Obama ook office, his adminisraion advanced he permiting

process or he ew pending projecs. Looking orward, however, Secreary Salazar

iniiaed he offshore wind Smar rom he Sar iniiaive in which he depar-

men’s Bureau o Ocean Energy Managemen worked wih a variey o ederal

agencies wih jurisdicion in offshore waersincluding, or example, he Coas

Guard, he Deparmen o Deense, and he Naional Oceanic and Amospheric

Adminisraion, as well as wih he governors o he Alanic saes, ribes, and

oher sakeholderso ideniy low-conflic Wind Energy Areas or poenial

leasing o offshore wind developers.24 Environmenal reviews and special leasing

opporuniies were hen ocused on hese consensus-based Wind Energy Areas.25

Srucured similarly o he Wesern Solar Plan, he Alanic wind program sough

o expedie environmenal reviews or leasing, while sill mainaining rigorous

environmenal reviews and increasing collaboraion beween ederal permiting

auhoriies, saes, and ineresed sakeholders. o dae, nine Wind Energy Areas


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have been idenified off he coass o six Mid-Alanic saes.26 Seven lease sales

already have been compleed in Wind Energy Areas off he coass o hode Island,

Massachusets, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, covering more han 350,000

acres o ederal waers and generaing more han $14 million in bids.27

e adminisraion’s ocus on landscape-scale planning o aciliae he permi-ing o major renewable energy projecs in opimal locaions has promped relaed

effors, including he Inerior Deparmen’s landscape-scale “Miigaion Sraegy,”

which curren Secreary Jewell ormally launched wih he issuance o Secrearial

Order 3330 on Ocober 31, 2013.28 e iniiaive seeks o mach miigaion obliga-

ions associaed wih redressing unavoidable environmenal impacs o specific

projecs wih regional resoraion and conservaion needs so ha miigaion dol-

lars are no spen on small, pachwork projecs ha produce limied environmenal

benefis.29 e pairing o renewable energy zones wih associaed regional mii-

gaion opporuniies provides a clear pahway or developers o cos-effecively

miigae unavoidable impacs, while ensuring ha miigaion dollars are leveragedo address regional landscape enhancemen and proecion needs.30 e Bureau o

Land Managemen is piloing he regional miigaion concep in connecion wih

leasing aciviy in is Dry Lake, Nevada, solar renewable energy zone.31

Strategic use of financial resources

e rapid growh in large-scale renewable energy in he Unied Saes would no

have been possible wihou financial incenives provided under he American

ecovery and einvesmen Ac o 2009, or AR. One o he larges hurdles o

large-scale renewable energy projecs is he financing needed o suppor inra-

srucure developmen. wo imporan programs creaed under AR are he

Deparmen o Energy’s Secion 1705 Loan Guaranee Program and he reasury

1603 gran program, which enabled developers o receive ederal unds up ron

in lieu o he Invesmen ax Credi.32 e Deparmen o Energy’s 1705 Loan

Guaranee Program played an imporan role in advancing renewable energy

projecs because, a ha ime, privae lenders had no experience in financing

uiliy-scale renewable energy projecs on public lands and, in addiion, he 2008

economic downurn dried up many radiional sources o capial.33


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• More than 50 renewable energy projects permitted since 200934

• Approximately 15,000 megawatts of additional capacity to the electric grid when

all permitted projects are built35

• First-ever large-scale solar project on public lands permitted and placed

in operation36

• First-ever commercial lease for offshore wind energy issued and construction com-

menced on first U.S. offshore wind farm37

• More than 2,300 miles of new transmission permitted38

• Potential for more than 21,000 U.S. construction and operations jobs39

• 10,000 megawatts of new renewable capacity permitted by the Interior Depart-

ment three years ahead of the deadline established by the Energy Policy Act

of 200540

Highlights of renewable energy developmentunder the Obama administration


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10 Center for American Progress | A 4-Point Plan for Responsibly Expanding Renewable Energy Production on America’s Public Lands and O

Recommendations

Clean, renewable energy rom he naion’s public lands has been criical o mee-

ing a growing share o he Unied Saes’ demand or energy. However, opporuni-

ies remain o expedie he ransiion o clean energy. o ha end, he Cener or

American Progress recommends he ollowing our-poin plan o build on he

clean energy oundaion o he Obama adminisraion and accelerae he develop-

men o new renewable energy projecs on public lands and waers.

Institutionalize recent renewable energy reforms

As discussed above, he Obama adminisraion has amassed an impressive rack

record in applying innovaive effors o improve he coordinaion o muliple

agencies as hey review and permi complex renewable energy and oher inra-

srucure projecs. is concered effor has sharply reduced permiting wai imes

or a number o large projecs while also improving environmenal resuls.

e permiting innovaions employed by he Obama adminisraion have worked

well bu are proceeding under he discreionary leadership o poliical appoinees

and have no been insiuionalized. In addiion, despie widespread praise or

hese permiting reorms, Congress has no explicily endorsed or unded hem,

leaving agencies o scramble o find he resources needed o aciliae cross-agency

permiting coordinaion and prioriizaion effors.

I is criical ha hese permiting reorms be insiuionalized. ey need o

become he norm, and no he excepion, when i comes o how he ederal gov-

ernmen approaches he permiting o complex, high-prioriy projecs.

CAP recommends wo complemenary mechanisms or insiuionalizing permi-

ing reorms: congressional acion and regulaory acion.


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On he congressional ron, Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and ob Porman

(-OH) have inroduced he Federal Permiting Improvemen Ac o 2015, which

is based on several Obama adminisraion permiting innovaions. is legislaion

would esablish a Federal Permiting Improvemen Council chaired by a ederal

chie permiting officer, or CPO, in he Office o Managemen and Budge.41 e

CPO would be asked wih managing he invenory o projecs and racking heirperormance and progress using ools such as a permiting dashboard.42 e ac

urher asks lead agencies o coordinae public and agency paricipaion, manage

and rack permiting deadlines, and esablish a consulaion process wih agencies

ha emphasizes he early idenificaion o poenial permiting issues wih key

agencies and sakeholders.43

By providing sauory direcion and relaed unding suppor hrough he enac-

men o he Federal Permiting Improvemen Ac or equivalen legislaion,

Congress could ensure insiuionalizaion o innovaive permiting pracices

or renewable energy projecs on public lands and or oher projecs ha have aederal permiting nexus.

On he regulaory ron, CAP recommends ha he Whie House’s Council on

Environmenal Qualiy, or CEQ, insiuionalize sound and environmenally ben-

eficial permiting reorms by updaing regulaions promulgaed in he 1980s under

he Naional Environmenal Policy Ac, or NEPA.

More specifically, CEQ should updae NEPA’s regulaions o require explicily ha

lead agencies reach ou o and coordinae wih oher reviewing and permiting

agencies early in he process. As a corollary, he regulaions should mandae ha

all o he relevan reviewing and permiting agencies coner wih projec propo-

nens and key sakeholders prior o he iniiaion o he NEPA process. is way,

hey can ideniy poenially aal flaws early enough or developers o adjus heir

projecs. In addiion, early inpu rom agencies and sakeholders can ensure ha

he NEPA process covers all o he key environmenal issues. Updaed NEPA reg-

ulaions also could esablish an ineragency permiting and review council o ease

he adminisraive burden imposed on lead agencies and aciliae oureach among

relevan agencies and sakeholders. Among oher acions, he council could assis

in implemening more effecive scoping processes and oher adminisraive ools,such as imelines and publicly available dashboards o coordinae more imely and

effecive environmenal reviews.44


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Designate more renewable energy zones on public lands and waters

e Inerior Deparmen’s Smar rom he Sar landscape-scale planning model

or solar and offshore wind has proven o be very successul. e Energy Policy

Ac o 2005 mandaed he developmen o 10,000 megawats o new renewable

energy rom U.S. public lands by 2015.45

By proceeding in a ocused and deliber-ae manner, he Obama adminisraion me his goal hree years ahead o schedule

and has permited approximaely 15,000 megawats o renewable energy rom

U.S. public lands, significanly exceeding Congress’ goal.46 CAP repors have also

confirmed ha saes wih large public land ooprins have enormous, largely

unapped capaciy o produce clean wind and geohermal energy.47

e Deparmen o he Inerior should double down on is renewable energy zone

model by ideniying new Solar Energy Zones and new offshore wind energy zones

and by inroducing wind and geohermal renewable energy zones on public lands.

Identify new Solar Energy Zones

e Souhwes Unied Saes is known as being one o he mos solar rich areas in

he world, wih he Bureau o Land Managemen, or BLM, managing more han

19 million acres wih “excellen solar poenial” across six saes in he region.48

e BLM has idenified Solar Energy Zones in his region ha are opimally siu-

aed or solar developmen on public lands because hey are close o ransmission

aciliies and have limied environmenal conflics. As discussed above, he BLM’s

Wesern Solar Plan incenivizes developers o sie heir projecs in hese zones.

e Wesern Solar Plan idenified 17 iniial Solar Energy Zones and called on

indusry and he governmen o esablish addiional zones based on he crieria

se orh in he Wesern Solar Plan. wo more Solar Energy Zones in Arizona and

Caliornia were creaed in 2013.49

e 19 zones idenified under he Wesern Solar Plan are inended o be represen-

aive and o provide a emplae or he idenificaion o addiional Solar Energy

Zones. e BLM’s plan was o work wih he solar indusry and ineresed sake-

holders o ideniy new Solar Energy Zones on an ongoing basis. Unorunaely,however, he BLM has no creaed any new Solar Energy Zones since i added

he wo new zones almos wo years ago. is is in spie o a recogniion ha he

plan did no purpor o comprehensively address all relevan areas and despie he

ongoing developmen o new ransmission lines in he Wes ha are opening up

addiional areas or poenial designaion as Solar Energy Zones.50


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Accordingly, CAP recommends ha he BLM and he U.S. Fores Service priori-

ize he idenificaion o a leas 10 new Solar Energy Zones and relaed regional

miigaion opporuniies on public lands. is will urher diversiy he Wesern

Solar Plan’s ooprin so ha developers coninue o have a clear road map and

pahway or permiting new projecs.

Expand offshore wind energy zones

As discussed above, he Inerior Deparmen’s Smar rom he Sar program has

employed a orward planning process wih saes, developers, and oher key sake-

holders o ideniy “ Wind Energy Areas” up and down he Eas Coas where shal-

low waers and proximiy o major load ceners make offshore wind developmen

atracive. Successul aucions have been paired wih he zones, aking advanage

o he clear permiting pahway ha hey esablish.51

In he pas ew years, new floaing wind echnology ha can be sied in deeper off-

shore waers has emerged and is being esed in several locaions around he world,

including Norway, hos o Saoil’s Hywind Demo; Scoland, hos o he Hywind

Scoland Pilo Park; and Japan, which recenly unveiled Asia’s firs floaing urbine

off he coas o Fukushima. In 2013, he Unied Saes launched is firs floaing wind

urbine off he coas o Maine hrough he work o he DeepCwind Consorium.52

Floaing urbines have he poenial o enable he producion o offshore wind

energy in he deeper waers ound offshore in Maine, Caliornia, Oregon,

Washingon, Alaska, and Hawaiiareas in which here is srong ineres in

developing offshore wind resources. Jus his year, he Bureau o Ocean Energy

Managemen received wo proposals rom AW Hawaii Wind LLC o build he

naion’s firs offshore floaing wind arm comprised o 100 floaing urbines off he

shores o Hawaii ha would produce up o 408 megawats o elecriciy.53

Based on he success o incenivizing offshore wind developmen hrough he

idenificaion o low-conflic Wind Energy Areas in shallower waers off he

Alanic saes, he Deparmen o he Inerior should expand is exising scope o

renewable energy zones o ideniy new zones in deeper offshore waers, such asoff he coas o Maine and in he Pacific Ocean, which can accommodae floa-

ing wind urbines. Applying he same orward planning process wih his nascen

echnology will atrac developers and accelerae he permiting o such projecs.


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Identify low-conflict wind and geothermal energy zones

e BLM manages 20.6 million acres o land ha have he poenial o generae

significan amouns o wind energy.54 While he BLM compleed a Programmaic

Environmenal Impac Saemen or wind in he previous adminisraion and

has auhorized approximaely 40 wind energy projecs over he pas couple odecades, i has no aken he nex, imporan sep o ideniying low-conflic wind

energy zones.55 As a resul, wind developers complain ha he BLM and is siser

regulaory agency, he U.S. Fish & Wildlie Service, have no proacively idenified

public lands in which wind energy applicaions will be welcomed.56

e same is rue or geohermal developmen on public lands. Unorunaely,

while he BLM has held a number o successul compeiive lease sales or geo-

hermal energy, i has no developed a sysemaic landscape-scale approach o

ideniy geohermal energy zones ha will aciliae expansion o his imporan

orm o renewable energy.57

Keying off o he successul Smar rom he Sar iniiaive, he curren admin-

israion should updae and expand he sale and incomplee programmaic

reviews ha he Bush adminisraion underook or onshore wind and geohermal

renewable energy resources. I should ideniy wind energy zones and geohermal

energy zones on public lands and he accompanying regional miigaion oppor-

uniies. e Inerior Deparmen’s rack record shows ha speci ying renewable

energy zones ha have reduced environmenal conflics, provide access o rans-

mission, and are oherwise atracive o renewable energy developers will avoid

sakeholder conflics, expedie permiting, and incenivize significan new renew-

able energy developmen on public lands in he righ way and in he righ places.

Develop community-based, distributed renewable energy

resources on public lands with interested communities

Some o he mos exciing developmens in renewable energy revolve around

opporuniies or individuals o inves in solar roofop sysems and oher orms o

disribued energy.58

Communiy-based renewable energy is an atracive orm odisribued energy ha can provide economies o scale and open up opporuniies

or Americans, who oherwise would be unable o uilize individual disribued

energy sysems o paricipae in renewable energy.59


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Communiy-based projecs may be able o bypass some o he hurdles ha can

discourage individual renewable energy projecs. For example, i is esimaed

ha almos hal o all U.S. households are currenly unable o hos phoovolaic

sysems because here is insufficien roo space and accessor because people

do no own heir homes.60 Indeed, as an acknowledgmen o his needand

opporuniyhe adminisraion has launched he Naional Communiy SolarParnership o provide access o solar energy or almos 50 percen o American

households ha eiher ren or do no have space or a solar energy sysem. e

parnership also provides renewable energy in ederally subsidized housing.61 A

number o saes also have developed incenives o promoe communiy-based

renewable energy.62

U.S. public landsincluding miliary landsand naional oress presen an

excellen opporuniy or he ederal governmen o work in parnership wih

energy developers and communiy leaders o sie small or mid-sized renewable

energy projecs on nearby ederally owned lands ha are suiable or renewableenergy developmen. Many neighboring communiies around he counry are

adjacen o public lands ha may be well suied or smaller-scale renewable energy

developmen and ha could serve he local communiy while also, in some cases,

serving ederal energy needs relaed o visior services, miliary operaions, ederal

offices, or oher onsie ederal energy needs. Likewise, communiy-based projecs

or public lands or ribal lands near ineresed American Indian or Alaska Naive

communiies presen a key opporuniy.

CAP recommends ha he ederal land managemen agencies, including he

Deparmen o he Inerior, he Deparmen o Agriculure’s Fores Service, and

he Deparmen o Deense, reach ou o ineresed leaders in communiies near

public lands and work in parnership o prioriize he developmen o communiy-

based renewable energy projecs on public lands ha will serve he adjacen com-

muniies, as well as local ederal needs. e ederal governmen could jumpsar

his process by compleing a PEIS o analyze environmenal impacs associaed

wih ypical communiy-sized renewable energy projecs.

A handul o represenaive locaions could provide he basis or he program-

maic review, including: (1) communiies adjacen o miliary bases ha poen-ially could accommodae renewable energy projecs; (2) gaeway communiies

near wesern public landsor example, Bend, Oregon; Payson, Arizona; and

Durango, Colorado; (3) communiies near BLM or Fores Service lands in he

Eas, Souh, and Midwes; and (4) ribal communiies in or adjacen o suiable

rus lands or public lands.


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Compleing a PEIS would enable sie-specific projecs o ier off o he program-

maic review, grealy simpliying and shorening he permiting ime needed o

reach decisions on proposed projecs. A variey o developmen and unding

emplaes also should be developed and shared wih ederal agencies, privae

developers, and ineresed communiies, including emplaes in which long-erm

conracual commimens by paricipaing ederal agencies help undergird heeconomics o renewable energy projecs.

Accelerate investment in creditworthy projects through a new

revolving loan fund

During he economic downurn in 2008 and 2009, when capial or major inra-

srucure projecs was limied, he American ecovery and einvesmen Ac o

2009 filled an imporan gap in privae-secor financial markes and helped bolser

he rapid growh in large-scale renewable energy on public lands in he UniedSaes.63 In paricular, AR programs played a key role in aciliaing he financ-

ing o more han 25 new renewable energy projecs, including a number o uiliy-

scale solar energy projecs ha are now in operaion, such as he Deser Sunligh,

Mojave, and Ivanpah projecs. ese received $4.3 billion in oal unding and

have he capaciy o produce more han 1,000 megawats o energy combined.64

e siuaion oday or financing major renewable energy projecs has improved

bu remains challenging. On he plus side, he successul consrucion and opera-

ion o uiliy-scale renewable energy projecs on public lands has demonsraed

wha is ermed “proo o concep” and has silenced he criics who quesioned he

viabiliy o large-scale renewable energy projecs.65 ese large projecs also have

helped dramaically expand he marke or solar panels and wind urbines, helping

reduce he cos and increase he compeiiveness o renewable energy. Uiliy-

scale solar energy can now be generaed or as litle as 5.6 cens per kilowat-hour,

and large-scale onshore wind can be generaed a 1.4 cens per kilowat-hour. e

low cos makes hem atracive, cos-effecive energy sources when compared wih

naural gas prices ha approximae 6.1 cens per kilowat-hour and coal prices a

6.6 cens per kilowat-hour.66

Noneheless, financing remains a significan issue or he renewable energy indus-

ry, which is young and aces an uneven playing field. I lacks many o he buil-in

inrasrucure, ax, and financing advanages ha he ossil uel energy indusry

enjoys.67 For hese reasons, i is essenial o he coninued growh o he renewable


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energy indusry ha he Invesmen ax Credi and he Producion ax Credi

ha have served as incenives or he developmen and deploymen o renewable

energy echnologies remain in place.

Bu new financing mechanisms are also needed o coninue he growh o he

renewable energy indusry. Specifically, CAP recommends he esablishmen o arevolving loan und o reduce he overall cos o capial or developers consruc-

ing communiy-based and uiliy-scale renewable energy projecs on public lands.

e revolving und would suppor a modes ranche o publicly suppored loans

or qualiying projecs ha have atraced privae financing and ha are suppored

by credi-worhy power purchase agreemens. Leveraging unds in his manner

would provide an addiional unding source or renewable energy projecs on

public lands wihou puting public unds a serious risk or making ourigh grans

or such projecs.

e revolving loan und could be financed by a number o poenial sources.wo unding sources include bonus paymens and rens colleced rom renew-

able energy projecs on public lands, as well as Deparmen o Energy renewable

energy and efficiency gran program unds, such as remaining unds under he

1703 Loan Guaranee Program.68 Adminisraion o he und could ake one o

several orms, including he ormaion o a quasi-public corporaion along he

lines o he Connecicu Green Bank or he addiion o a clean energy finance arm

o an exising or new inrasrucure bank ha works wih banks lending or radi-

ional inrasrucure projecs.69


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Conclusion

e naion’s public lands have played an insrumenal role in ransiioning

America’s energy mix rom radiional ossil uels o clean energy. e Unied

Saes mus coninue o produce more renewable energy producion rom is pub-

lic lands and offshore waers in order o enhance is energy securiy and energy

independence, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and coninue o pivo oward a

clean energy uure. e Obama adminisraion’s innovaive approach o he per-

miting o renewable energy projecswhich brings paries o he able early on

and paves he way or efficien ye rigorous environmenal reviews and permitingdecisionsis inegral o coninued success.

Moving orward, however, will require addiional innovaions and reorms, buil

on he solid oundaion esablished by he Obama adminisraion. CAP proposes

implemenaion o he our-poin plan oulined in his repor o accelerae he

consrucion o renewable energy projecs on America’s public lands and oceans

in he righ way and in he righ places.


22/27


About the authors

David J. Hayes is a Visiing Senior Fellow or he Public Lands Projec a he

Cener or American Progress and a Disinguished Visiing Lecurer in Law a he

Sanord Law School. You can ollow him on witer a @djhayes01.

Nidhi Thakar is he Depuy Direcor o he Public Lands Projec a he Cener. You

can ollow her on witer a @NidhiJakar.


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Endnotes

1 Bureau of Land Management, “Renewable Energy Proj-ects Approved Since the Beginning of Calendar Year2009,” available at http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/renewable_energy/Renewable_Energy_Proj-ects_Approved_to_Date.html(last accessed August2015).

2 Dan Utech, “Modernizing our Electric TransmissionInfrastructure and Driving the Development of CleanEnergy,” The White House Blog, July 21, 2015, availableat https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/07/21/modernizing-our-electric-transmission-infrastructure-and-driving-development-clean-e. These statistics areparticularly remarkable given that the Bush administra-tion devoted virtually no attention to developingrenewable energy on U.S. public lands. Indeed, theadministration failed to approve any permits for large-scale solar projects; it approved a combined total ofless than 1,600 megawatts of wind and geothermalprojects, and it dragged solar, wind, and geothermaldevelopers through permitting processes that lastedyears. See also American Council On Renewable Energy,“The Outlook for Renewable Energy in America” (2014),available at http://www.acore.org/files/pdfs/ACORE_Outlook_for_RE_2014.pdf .

3 Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, “Presi-dent Obama Announces Over $467 Million in RecoveryAct Funding for Geothermal and Solar En ergy Projects,”Press release, May 27, 2009, available at http://energy.gov/eere/geothermal/articles/president-obama-announces-over-467-million-recovery-act-funding-geothermal.

4 U.S. Department of the Interior, Secretarial Order 3285,Amendment No. 1 (February 22, 2010), available athttp://elips.doi.gov/ELIPS/0/doc/151/Page1.aspx.

5 Ibid.

6 David J. Hayes and others, “A 21st Century GovernanceChallenge: Finding Effective Mechanisms to AddressClimate Change Across the Federal Government”(Stanford, CA: Stanford Law School, 20 15), availableat https://www.law.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/

child-page/993190/doc/slspublic/SLS%20Climate%20Chg%20Governance%20Report.pdf.

7 Ibid.

8 Government Accountability Office, “Renewable Energy:Agencies Have Taken Steps Aimed at Improving thePermitting Process for Development on Federal Lands,”GAO-13-189, March 2013, available at http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-189.

9 Hayes and others, “A 21st Century Governance Chal-lenge.”

10 Ibid.

11 The RRTT has focused initially on seven pilot transmis-sion projects linked to commercial-scale renewableenergy projects on both federal and non federal lands

across Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada,Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,Minnesota, and Wisconsin. See The White HouseCouncil on Environmental Quality, “InteragencyRapid Response Team for Transmission,” available athttps://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/interagency-rapid-response-team-for-transmission (last accessed July 2015). Included amongthe target lines is the SunZia transmission line, whichwill unlock stranded renewable energy sources in NewMexico and the Southwest. It will cover more than 500

miles and be able to support an additional 3,000 mega-watts of renewable energy. See U.S. Department of theInterior, “Interior Department Greenlights TransmissionLine to Modernize Grid, Unlock Renewable EnergySources in Southwest,” Press release, January 24, 2015,available at http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/interior-department-greenlights-transmission-line-to-modernize-grid-unlock-renewable-energy-sources-in-southwest.cfm.

12 The White House, “FACT SHEET – Building a 21st Cen-tury Infrastructure: Modernizing Infrastructure Permit-ting,” Press release, May 14, 2014, available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/14/fact-sheet-building-21st-century-infrastructure-mod-ernizing-infrastructu.

13 U.S. Department of the Interior, Overview: Offshore WindEnergy Development off the Atlantic Coast , available athttp://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/upload/02-07-10-wea-fact-sheet.pdf (last accessed August 2015).

14 Jason Deren, “Solar Energy Projects On Public LandsPlagued By Delays,” HuffPost Green, September1, 2010, available at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/01/solar-energy-projects-on-_n_701599.html.

15 Steven W. Black, American Bar Association, 2013, avail-able at http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/litigation/materials/2013_jointcle/9_2_nations_public_lands.authcheckdam.pdf.

16 Bureau of Land Management, “Solar Energy,” availableat http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/so-lar_energy.html (last accessed August 2015).

17 Ibid.

18 Ibid.

19 U.S. Department of the Interior, “Obama Administra-tion Releases Roadmap for Solar Energy Developmenton Public Lands,” Press release, July 24, 2012, availableat http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Obama-

Administration-Releases-Roadmap-for-Solar-Energy-Development-on-Public-Lands.cfm.

20 Ibid.

21 Bureau of Land Management, “BLM Reaches MajorPermitting Milestone for First Projects under WesternSolar Plan,” Press release, December 8, 2014, available athttp://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/newsroom/2014/december/nr_12_08_2014.html. Once in operation,these three projects will generate an additional 480megawatts of electricity. See ibid. In addition, the De-partment of the Interior has proposed new regulationsthat offer additional incentives for developers to sitetheir projects within Solar Energy Zones and other “des-ignated leasing areas.” The proposed regulations wouldprovide developers incentives, such as phased-in ca-pacity fees and fixed 30-year leases, and would furtherestablish a competitive process, including terms and

conditions such as rental and bonding requirements,for solar and wind energy right-of-ways needed fordevelopment. See U.S. Department of the Interior, “Sec-retary Jewell Announces Competitive Leasing Policyto Encourage Solar and Wind Energy Development onPublic Lands, Create Greater Certainty for Developers,”Press release, September 25, 2014, available at http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/secretary-jewell-announces-competitive-leasing-policy-to-encourage-solar-and-wind-energy-development-on-public-lands-create-greater-certainty-for-developers.cfm.

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22 Sierra Club, “Offshore FAQ,” available at http://content.sierraclub.org/coal/wind/offshore-wind-faq(last ac-cessed July 2015); European Wind Energy Association,“The European offshore wind industry – key trendsand statistics 2013” (2013), available at http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/files/library/publications/statistics/European_offshore_statistics_2013.pdf ; South BalticOFF.E.R, “Wind Energy Regions: Denmark,” available athttp://www.southbaltic-offshore.eu/regions-denmark.html (last accessed July 2015).

23 Black, American Bar Association.

24 U.S. Department of the Interior, “Salazar Launches‘Smart from the Start’ Initiative to Speed Offshore WindEnergy Development off the Atlantic Coast,” Press re-lease, November 23, 2010, available at http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Launches-Smart-from-the-Start-Initiative-to-Speed-Offshore-Wind-Energy-Development-off-the-Atlantic-Coast.cfm.

25 Ibid.

26 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, “Renewable En-ergy on the Outer Continental Shelf,” available at http://www.boem.gov/BOEM-Overview-Renewable-Energy/(last accessed August 2015).

27 U.S. Department of the Interior, “Interior to AuctionMore Than 742,000 Acres Offshore Massachusetts forWind Energy Development,” Press release, November

24, 2014, available at http://www.doi.gov/news/press-releases/interior-to-auction-more-than-742-thousand-acres-offshore-massachusetts-for-wind-energy-devel-opment.cfm.

28 U.S. Department of the Interior, Order 3330 (October 31,2013), available at http://www.doi.gov/news/upload/secretarial-order-mitigation.pdf.

29 U.S. Department of the Interior, “Secretary JewellReleases Landscape Scale-Mitigation Strategy toEncourage Dual Objectives of Smart Development andConservation,” Press release, April 10, 2014, availableat http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/secretary-

jewell-releases-landscape-scale-mitigation-strategy-to-encourage-dual-objectives-of-smart-development-and-conservation.cfm; U.S. Department of the Interior, A Strategy for Improving the Mitigation Policies andPractices of the Department of the Interior (2014), avail-

able at http://www.doi.gov/news/upload/Mitigation-Report-to-the-Secretary_FINAL_04_08_14.pdf.

30 David J. Hayes, “Addressing the Environmental Impactsof Large Infrastructure Projects: Making ‘Mitigation’Matter,” Environmental Law Reporter 44 (1) (2014):10016–10021, available at http://www.eli.org/sites/default/files/docs/elr-na/44.elr_.10016.pdf .

31 Bureau of Land Management, “Mitigation Strategyfor the Dry Lake SEZ,” available at http://blmsolar.anl.gov/sez/nv/dry-lake/mitigation/ (last accessed August2015). Another significant landscape-scale planningeffort is the Department of the Interior and the stateof California’s collaboration known as the DesertRenewable Energy Conservation Plan, or DRECP. TheBureau of Land Management has announced that itwill release a land use planning amendment that it hasdeveloped through the DRECP process. It is expected

to identify renewable energy “development areas” andconservation areas on BLM lands in Southern California,as part of an ongoing joint federal-state-private plan-ning effort that covers a vast area of 22 million acres ofthe California desert. See Bureau of Land Management,Draft Desert Renewable Energy Conser vation Plan (U.S.Department of the Interior, 2014), available at http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/ca/pdf/pa/energy/drecp/draft_drecp.Par.97634.File.dat/0a_Executive%20Summary_508.pdf .

32 Solar Energy Industries Association, “1603 TreasuryProgram,” available at http://www.seia.org/policy/finance-tax/1603-treasury-program (last accessed July2015).

33 U.S. Partnership for Renewable Energy Finance, “TheImportance of the Loan Guarantee Program in Financ-ing Innovative R enewable Technologies” (2011), avail-able at http://reffwallstreet.com/us-pref/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/The-Importance-of-the-DOE-LGP-in-Financing-Innovative-Renewable-Technologies-v2.3.pdf ; Solar Energy Industries Association, “Loan

Guarantee Program,” available at http://www.seia.org/policy/finance-tax/loan-guarantee-program (last ac-cessed July 2015).

34 Richard Valdmanis, “UPDATE 1-Offshore wind powergets foothold in US with R hode Island project,” Reuters,July 27, 2015, available at http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/27/usa-windfarm-deepwater-idUSL1N-1071LZ20150727.

35 Bureau of Land Management, “Renewable EnergyProjects Approved Since the Beginning of CalendarYear 2009.”

36 Solar Energy Industries Association, “Permitted andPending Utility-Scale Solar Power Projects on PublicLands,” available at http://www.seia.org/research-resources/permitted-pending-utility-scale-solar-power-projects-public-lands (last accessed August 2015).

37 U.S. Department of the Interior, “Salazar signs First U.S.Offshore Commercial Wind Energy Lease with CapeWind Associates, LLC,” Press release, October 6 , 2010,available at http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Signs-First-US-Offshore-Commercial-Wind-Energy-Lease-with-Cape-Wind-Associates-LLC.cfm;Valdmanis, “UPDATE 1-Offshore wind power getsfoothold in US with Rhode Is land project.”

38 Utech, “Modernizing our Electric TransmissionInfrastructure and Driving the Development of CleanEnergy.”

39 The White House, “FACT SHEET: Administration An-nounces Actions To Drive Growth In Solar Energy And

Train Workers For Clean-Energy Jobs,” Press release,April 3, 2015, available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/04/03/fact-sheet-administration-

announces-actions-drive-growth-solar-energy-an.

40 The Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, andNatural Resources Defense Council, “A Brighter Future:shifting the way we develop renewable energy onpublic lands” (2015), available at http://www.nrdc.org/land/files/development-public-lands-report.pdf .

41 Hayes and others, “A 21st Century Governance Chal-lenge”; Federal Permitting Improvement Act of 2015, S.280, 114 Cong. 1 sess. (Library of Congress, 2015).

42 Ibid.

43 Ibid.

44 David J. Hayes, “Leaning on NEPA to Improve theFederal Permitting Process,” Environmental Law Reporter 45 (1) (2015): 10018–10022, available at http://www.eli.

org/sites/default/files/docs/elrjan.pdf .

45 Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 58, 109th Cong.,1st sess. (August 8, 2 005), available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-109publ58/pdf/PLAW-109publ58.pdf.

46 The Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, and Natu-ral Resources Defense Council, “A Brighter Future.”

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47 Jessica Goad, Daniel J. Weiss, and Richard Caperton,“The Vast Potential for Renewable Energy in the Ameri-can West” (Washington: Center for American Progress,2012), available at https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/report/2012/08/06/12002/the-vast-potential-for-renewable-energy-in-the-american-west/.

48 Bureau of Land Management, “Solar Energy.”

49 Ibid.

50 Ibid. New transmission lines in the Southwest, such

as the SunZia and Sunrise Powerlink transmissionlines, have also opened up new opportunities to siterenewable energy projects in areas not covered by thecurrent Solar Energy Zones. For example, the SunZiatransmission line will extend almost 515 miles, stretch-ing from Southern Arizona to Central New Mexicoand covering areas not currently contemplated bythe Arizona and New Mexico Solar En ergy Zones. SeeU.S. Department of the Interior, “Interior DepartmentGreenlights Transmission Line to Modernize Grid,Unlock Renewable Energy Sources in Southwest.”Furthermore, the Sunrise Powerlink transmission linewill cross 117 miles from S an Diego to the I mperial Val-ley, traversing areas west of any currently existing SolarEnergy Zones. See San Diego Gas & Electric, “SunrisePowerlink,” available at http://www.sdge.com/key-initiatives/sunrise-powerlink (last accessed July 2015);San Diego Gas & Electric, “SDG&E Sunrise PowerlinkReaches 1,000 Megawatt Renewable Energy Goal,”

Press release, December 18, 2014, available at http://www.sdge.com/newsroom/press-releases/2014-12-18/sdge%E2%80%99s-sunrise-powerlink-reaches-1000-megawatt-renewable-energy.

51 For example, on January 29, 2015, the Bureau of OceanEnergy Management held an auction for the Massachu-setts Wind Energy Area. See Bureau of Ocean EnergyManagement, “Commercial Wind Leasing OffshoreMassachusetts,” available at http://www.boem.gov/Commercial-Wind-Leasing-Offshore-Massachusetts/ (last accessed August 2015).

52 Pete Danko, “First Floating Wind Turbine In The U.S.Deploys In Maine,” HuffPost Green, June 4, 2013, avail-able at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/04/us-floating-wind-turbine-maine_n_3380208.html.

53 James Cave, “How Hawaii Could Finally Make Float-

ing Wind Farms A Reality,” HuffPost Green, June4, 2013, available at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/19/hawaii-floating-wind-farm-proposal_n_7588694.html.

54 U.S. Department of the Interior, “New Energy Frontier,”available at http://www.doi.gov//whatwedo/energy/index.cfm (last accessed July 2015).

55 Bureau of Land Management, “Wind Energy,” availableat http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/wind_energy.html (last accessed July 2015).

56 The Fish & Wildlife Service has developed wind energyguidelines that set forth a science-based approach toreduce bird and bat interactions with wind farms, but ithas not worked with the BLM to apply these criteria toestablish wind energy zones on public lands. See Fish &Wildlife Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Land-Based

Wind Energy Guidelines (U.S. Department of the Interior,2012), available at http://www.fws.gov/ecological-services/es-library/pdfs/WEG_final.pdf.

57 U.S. Department of the Interior, “Record GeothermalLease Sale Generates $28 Million in Bids,” Press release,August 8, 2008, available at http://www.doi.gov/news/archive/08_News_Releases/080808b.html; Bureau ofLand Management, “Geothermal Leasing,” availableat http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/prog/minerals/leas-

able_minerals/geothermal0/ggeothermal_leasing.html(last accessed July 2015). A programmatic environmen-tal impact statement prepared in 2008 identified nearly200 million acres of public lands across 12 westernstates managed by the BLM and th e U.S. Forest Servicethat are ripe for future geothermal energy leasing andthat potentially could create 5,500 megawatts of newclean energy capacity. See Office of Energy Efficiency& Renewable Energy, “Interior Department to Open190 Million Acres to Geothermal Power,” Press release,October 29, 2008, available at http://energy.gov/eere/geothermal/articles/interior-department-open-

190-million-acres-geothermal-power. See also Bureauof Land Management, “Record of Decision,” available athttp://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/geother-mal/geothermal_nationwide/record_of_decision.html (last accessed July 2015).

58 Mari Hernandez, “Rooftop Solar Adoption in EmergingResidential Markets” (Washington: Center for AmericanProgress, 2014), available at https://www.american-progress.org/issues/green/report/2014/05/29/90551/rooftop-solar-adoption-in-emerging-residential-mar-kets/.

59 Community-based projects may be able to bypasssome of the hurdles that can discourage individualrenewable energy projects. For example, less thanone-third of all rooftop areas are suitable for s upport-ing an on-site photovoltaic solar system, which meansthat the majority of homeowners are actually un able

to have their own solar project. See O ffice of EnergyEfficiency & Renewable E nergy, A Guide to CommunitySolar: Utility, Private, and Non-profit Project Development(U.S. Department of Energy, 2010), available at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy11osti/49930.pdf .

60 David Feldman and others, “Shared Solar: CurrentLandscape, Market Potential and the Impact of FederalSecurities Regulation” (Washington: National Renew-able Energy Laboratory, 2015), available at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy15osti/63892.pdf .

61 The White House, “Fact Sheet: Administration Announc-es New Initiative to Increase Solar Access for All Ameri-cans,” Press release, July 7, 2015, available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/07/07/fact-sheet-administration-announces-new-initiative-increase-solar-access.

62 Office of the Maine Public Utilities Commission,“Community-based Renewable Energy Pilot Program,”availab

a 4-point plan for responsibly expanding renewable energy production on america’s public lands and...

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