Clean energy on public lands is growing, with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) increasing its renewable energy permitting by 35 percent last fiscal year.
A new report from the federal government said that the bureau authorized or facilitated 12 public lands projects and supported the development of 2,890 megawatts — enough to power more than 300 million LED lights — of generating capacity from onshore wind, solar and geothermal energy.
This is up significantly from the 2020 fiscal year’s 2,148 megawatts. Of the 12 fiscal year 2021 projects, one was authorized in the final days of the Trump administration while the others were authorized during the Biden administration.
The new report also highlighted actions that the bureau is taking on clean energy, including hiring new staff to support its clean energy goals. It also said it was lowering rents and fees…