Fields of solar arrays and giant wind turbines dotting public lands across the United States sounds both appealing, for the renewable energy potential, and unappealing for potential aesthetic and environmental impacts.
That’s why the , which was introduced last year in Congress, is so important.
The legislation would create “priority areas” on public lands across the U.S. for wind, solar and geothermal energy projects. These would be areas where energy generation potential is plentiful, where environmental and community impacts are minimal and infrastructure exists to support the project.
In return for developing on these ideal locations identified by the government, companies would enjoy a streamlined permitting process and more certainty in timeline and costs. Taxpayers would be more likely to receive fair market value for the leases because there would be a competitive bidding process.
And finally, the money generated from these long-term leases (most will span around 30 years) will be shared between state and local governments, a newly formed conservation fund and permitting agencies.
That last component — the revenue sharing — is likely what has brought such a diverse group to the table pushing for this legislation.
The Denver Post editorial board met with supporters including The Wilderness Society, Trout Unlimited and El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark, a Republican, who is a past president of the National Association of Counties.
Environmental groups are coming to the table because 35 percent of the revenue would go to the Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund where the secretary of the Interior can direct the funds to protecting and restoring fish and wildlife habitat, and improving access to public lands.
Twenty-five percent would go to the state where the projects are located and 25 percent to any impacted counties. The remaining 15 percent would go to the department to support future permitting processes.
Rep. Jared Polis, a Colorado Democrat, with Rep. Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican. The House version now has 35 Democrats and 33 Republicans on board and the Senate version is similarly bipartisan.
There are some red flags in the legislation. The bill defines “exclusion areas” — places where these types of developments would be inappropriate for a variety of reasons, but it fails to outline how or when those designations would be made. It’s easy to think of places in Colorado we would want to protect from this kind of development.
We urge Congress to take this issue up when they return to work after the elections and to move quickly to make it law.
The bill would work hand in hand with a proposed Bureau of Land Management rule for wind and solar land leasing that would fill a current void in the process.
When an oil and gas company leases federal land for exploration, there are prescribed rules in place to handle the transaction. So far, companies developing wind and solar have been using generic right-of-way rules to lease public land. The proposed rules would create a fair and consistent process and ensure a fair market value for the leases awarded through a transparent bidding process.
These two developments — the law and the rule — taken together could do much to increase the amount of energy being generated in the U.S. through renewable sources.
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