Feds OK 1st major solar plant on tribal land; project planned for reservation outside Vegas

The Washington Post

LAS VEGAS — Federal officials have approved a solar plant on an Indian reservation outside Las Vegas, marking the nation’s first commercial-grade solar energy project on tribal land and new territory for the Obama administration’s renewable energy agenda.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Thursday that he signed off on a plan with the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians that will launch a 350-megawatt solar plant capable of powering 100,000 homes.

“We do not want Indian country to be left behind as we move forward with the new energy front in the United States,” Salazar said in a conference call with reporters.