The U.S. Department of the Interior has outlined a set of measures it would take to further the Biden-Harris administration's goal to authorize 25 gigawatts of renewable energy on public lands by 2025 in an April 20 news release.
These measures will help the department achieve its objective to properly harness and deliver renewable energy on public lands and waterways, while also generating union jobs and lowering emissions.
“The Department of the Interior continues to make significant progress in our efforts to spur a clean energy revolution, strengthen and decarbonize the nation’s economy and help communities transition to a clean energy future,” Secretary Deb Haaland said in the release. “The demand for renewable energy has never been greater.
The Bureau of Land Management estimates increased renewable energy activities and enhanced renewable energy projects will assist in achieving the department's goal.
Additionally, the BLM anticipates that a revised policy enabling staff to more effectively prioritize renewable energy programs on public lands would help in the endeavor.
“Our nation’s leaders have asked for timely action on renewables, and the Biden-Harris administration is delivering,” Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management Laura Daniel-Davis stated. “The Bureau of Land Management’s energy experts understand the demand and the need to ensure environmentally sound development of renewable energy on these lands. We’re on the path to building upon the extraordinary work already being done.”
The BLM submitted a report to Congress highlighting the Department of the Interior's efforts and successes during the fiscal year 2021 towards encouraging onshore renewable energy through the management of public lands.
One of these efforts involves the DOI and BLM's reorganization of the renewable energy program with the goal of improving infrastructure permit coordination and environmental reviews. These improvements are intended to help reach a national goal of implementing 25 gigatonnes of renewable energy on public lands by 2021-2025, as mandated by 43 U.S.C. 3004(b).
