SEIA's Rhone Resch on BLM's Moratorium Announcement

“The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) announcement that it has lifted its moratorium on solar energy applications on federal lands is the right decision. While we applaud today’s announcement, BLM has only resolved half the problem. They have yet to approve a single solar energy project. Expediting the permitting process is the next step in developing solar energy projects on federal lands.

“While we recognize and encourage BLM assessment of energy projects on federal lands, we were dismayed that BLM singled out solar energy for a moratorium. Solar is a clean, renewable energy that can bring electricity to millions of homes. According to the BLM’s own estimates, more than 20 million American homes could be powered by the 130 projects currently stalled at the agency.

“We are happy to see that BLM will continue to process solar applications. With consumers facing rapidly increasing energy costs, the United States cannot afford to delay solar projects any longer.

“Today’s decision is a victory for the U.S. solar industry. We now look forward to working with BLM to begin processing the applications that they are already behind on.”

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