The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will fast-track nearly three dozen qualified renewable energy projects, including wind energy projects.
The BLM is guaranteeing a full environmental analysis and public review for the 31 renewable energy projects (seven wind, 14 solar, three geothermal and seven transmission) that have met the required milestones for expedited processing.
According to the BLM, fast-track projects have made sufficient progress to formally start the environmental review and public participation process. These projects are advanced enough in the permitting process that they could potentially be cleared for approval by December 2010, thus making them eligible for economic stimulus funding under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
‘The fast-track process is about focusing our staff and resources on the most promising renewable energy projects not about cutting corners, especially when it comes to environmental analyses or opportunities for public participation,’ says BLM Director Bob Abbey.
All renewable energy projects proposed for BLM-managed lands will receive the full environmental review required by the National Environmental Protection Act and will include the same opportunities for public involvement required for all other land-use decision making by the BLM.
SOURCE: Bureau of Land Management
