US Bureau of Land Management to spend $ 41 million for renewable energy planning
The US DOI, under the helm of Sec. Ken Salazar, will manage $3 billion in investments as part of the recovery plan signed in February. Photo Courtesy of DOI The US Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be spending $41 million of the economic stimulus to accelerate the development and transmission of renewable energy on US public lands, the department said.
The BLM, which manages more land than any other federal agency with its 256 million acres, will be using up the allotted money for reducing the backlog of pending applications for wind and solar projects on its managed lands.
It will also be spending for regional planning and siting of future development and transmission of wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass energy. This is aimed at coordinating the development and transmission of renewable energy, which US Pres. Barack Obama wants doubled for the US within three years.
In March, Interior Sec. Ken Salazar ordered his department to prioritize renewable energy processing all over the US.
Siting has been a renewed concern recently along with the Obama administration’s relatively aggressive promotion of renewable sources. Environment groups have expressed the need to balance the need for new renewable energy installations with preserving natural parks.
Renewable energy projects might also compete for space with other federal projects, such as satellite dish installations.
In addition to processing expenses, the DOI said it will also be spending $26.4 million for 40 projects in Nevada, some of which will be for renewable energy.
The DOI has just recently finalized a framework for renewable energy exploitation in the country’s Outer Continental Shelf, seen as a viable site for offshore wind farms, which are yet to come to the US.
Overall, the DOI will manage $3 billion in investments as part of the recovery plan signed in February.
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Eric Dorente
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