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Obama Administration Approves Roadmap For Utility-Scale Solar Energy Development On Public Lands
Nevada Senator Harry Reid ^ | October 12, 2012 | Nevada Senator Harry Reid

Posted on 10/12/2012 3:51:38 PM PDT by mdittmar

Washington, D.C.- As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy to expand domestic energy production, Nevada Senator Harry Reid joined Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today in finalizing a program for spurring development of solar energy on public lands in six western states. The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for solar energy development provides a blueprint for utility-scale solar energy permitting in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah by establishing solar energy zones with access to existing or planned transmission, incentives for development within those zones, and a process through which to consider additional zones and solar projects.

Today’s action builds on the Administration’s historic progress to facilitate renewable energy development. On Tuesday, with the authorization of the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project site in Wyoming, Interior reached the President’s goal of authorizing 10,000 megawatts of renewable power on public lands. Since 2009, Interior has authorized 33 renewable energy projects, including 18 utility-scale solar facilities, 7 wind farms and 8 geothermal plants, with associated transmission corridors and infrastructure. When built, these projects will provide enough electricity to power more than 3.5 million homes, and support 13,000 construction and operations jobs according to project developer estimates.

“Energy from sources like wind and solar have doubled since the President took office, and with today’s milestone, we are laying a sustainable foundation to keep expanding our nation’s domestic energy resources,” said Secretary Salazar, who signed today’s Record of Decision at an event in Las Vegas, Nevada with Senator Harry Reid. “This historic initiative provides a roadmap for landscape-level planning that will lead to faster, smarter utility-scale solar development on public lands and reflects President Obama’s commitment to grow American made energy and create jobs.”

“Solar power is the future of energy production in southern Nevada and the Southwest, and Secretary Salazar and I share the vision that we can create jobs and generate clean energy for Nevada by permitting new solar projects,” said Nevada Senator Harry Reid. “Today marks the launch of a new program that will help us tap into this abundant clean energy resource in a more efficient and conservation-minded way. By making the permitting process for solar projects more efficient, the Department of the Interior will enable developers to focus on hiring workers rather than unraveling red tape. Protecting vital incentives that put renewable energy resources on a level playing field with fossil fuels will make it easier for businesses to develop them and at the same time it will bolster Nevada’s economy and strengthen our workforce.”

The Solar PEIS establishes an initial set of 17 Solar Energy Zones (SEZs), totaling about 285,000 acres of public lands, that will serve as priority areas for commercial-scale solar development, with the potential for additional zones through ongoing and future regional planning processes. If fully built out, projects in the designated areas could produce as much as 23,700 megawatts of solar energy, enough to power approximately 7 million American homes. The program also keeps the door open, on a case-by-case basis, for the possibility of carefully sited solar projects outside SEZs on about 19 million acres in “variance” areas. The program also includes a framework for regional mitigation plans, and to protect key natural and cultural resources the program excludes a little under 79 million acres that would be inappropriate for solar development based on currently available information.  

“The Solar PEIS sets forth an enduring, flexible blueprint for developing utility-scale solar projects in the right way, and in the right places, on our public lands,” said David J. Hayes, Deputy Secretary of the Interior. “Never before has the Interior Department worked so closely and collaboratively with the industry, conservationists and sportsmen alike to develop a sound, long-term plan for generating domestic energy from our nation’s sun-drenched public lands.”

The signing of the Record of Decision today follows the July release of the Final PEIS, a comprehensive analysis that identified locations on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands most suitable for solar energy development. These areas are characterized by excellent solar resources, access to existing or planned transmission and relatively low conflict with biological, cultural and historic resources.

Today’s action is in line with the President’s direction to continue to expand domestic energy production, safely and responsibly. Since President Obama took office, domestic oil and gas production has increased each year, with domestic oil production at an eight-year high, natural gas production at an all-time high, and foreign oil imports now accounting for less than 50 percent of the oil consumed in America – the lowest level since 1995.

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TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 10/12/2012 3:51:41 PM PDT by mdittmar
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To: mdittmar

Something else for us to dismantle after he’s gone.


2 posted on 10/12/2012 3:53:26 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: mdittmar

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/249555-house-passes-no-more-solyndras-act


3 posted on 10/12/2012 3:54:47 PM PDT by bigbob
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To: mdittmar
A total ecological disaster.

Lefties only care about "the environment" as a tool to control other people. They're more than happy to destroy it if they can control people and make a buck at the same time.

4 posted on 10/12/2012 4:01:07 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Government is the religion of the psychopath.)
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To: cripplecreek
So all the hype about saving "Pristine National Treasures" and "Endangered Species Habitat" goes down the toilet, when it comes to channeling Taxpayer Dollars to subsidize donors and their friends and covering the "Pristine Landscape" with 1000's of propellers, hundreds of miles of transmission towers, and billboard-sized solar panels as far as the eye can see?

This bullshit is going to accelerate up until January, when the Kenyan Poser is kicked out on his ass. Unfortunately, we cannot un-do all the EO's, Regulations, and Legislation that he's gotten in place to destroy America, because the Legislation to un-do it will be thwarted by Democrats in Congress.

Treason and hanging of ALL those in this Administration's key poistions is what SHOULD be done.

5 posted on 10/12/2012 4:07:12 PM PDT by traditional1 (Don't gotsta worry 'bout no mo'gage, don't gotsta worry 'bout no gas; Obama gonna take care o' me!)
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To: mdittmar

Eyesore.
Taxpayer money pit.
Deficit increaser.
Maintenance headache.
Environmental destroyer.

Union cupcake.
Crony frosting.

Leftist dream.


6 posted on 10/12/2012 4:12:33 PM PDT by lurk
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To: mdittmar

Another subsidize crony capitalist society for taxpayers to support and the Dems. to profit from.


7 posted on 10/12/2012 4:13:30 PM PDT by parisa
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To: lurk

I’ve proposed using the shredded poultry downstream of wind turbines to feed the starving victims of the Baraqqi Depression.
Perhaps solar panels can be converted to cookers to process it?


8 posted on 10/12/2012 4:17:38 PM PDT by nascarnation (Defeat Baraq 2012. Deport Baraq 2013)
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To: cripplecreek

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/21/solar-panels-white-house-roof_n_880940.html

Obama Administration Fails On Promise To Put Solar Panels On White House Roof By June 21

WASHINGTON — Despite a promise from a top Obama administration official that solar panels and a solar water heater would be installed on the White House before the start of the summer, neither have yet been installed on the White House roof as of Tuesday, the date of the summer solstice.

“The White House will lead by example,” United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said during remarks at the GreenGov Symposium on Oct. 5, 2010. “I’m pleased to announce that by the end of this spring, there will be solar panels that convert sunlight to energy and a solar hot water heater on the roof of the White House.”


9 posted on 10/12/2012 4:17:54 PM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: ilovesarah2012

White House Roof??

How about a gallows?


10 posted on 10/12/2012 4:41:21 PM PDT by Scrambler Bob (If you could read my mind ... just count up the felonies!)
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To: mdittmar

Don’t drill for oil amd Gas on Public Lands though.Build an ugly Solar Power site.Thats environmentally safe.

What an Idiot Obama is.


11 posted on 10/12/2012 4:54:32 PM PDT by puppypusher (The World is going to the dogs.)
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To: mdittmar

To Sin City Harry: This WHORE is lost!


12 posted on 10/12/2012 5:15:12 PM PDT by Mark (Don't argue with my posts. I typed while under sniper fire.)
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