Some Refreshing Common Sense! BLM Removes Solar Roadblock

Well ask and you shall receive I guess…

We’ve all been calling on the BLM to stop being an Energy Delayer and lift a moratorium that locked up the vast reserves of solar energy located on federal lands. Today, the BLM announced that they would lift the planned twenty-two month moratorium on land it stewards in six southwest states rich in solar energy. The BLM had claimed that an extensive environmental impact review was necessary before solar development on federal lands could move forward and called for the moratorium on May 29th.

Today’s refreshingly smart move from the federal government clears the way for over 130 solar energy development projects already submitted to the BLM to move forward and opens up the possibility of further development of this untapped and vast American energy resource.

“We heard the concerns expressed during the scoping period about waiting to consider new applications,” BLM Director James Caswell said in a statement, “and we are taking action. By continuing to accept and process new applications for solar energy projects, we will aggressively help meet growing interest in renewable energy sources, while ensuring environmental protections.”

I’d love to think my blogging had something to do with this, but there were plenty of voices calling on the BML to end it’s dangerously crazy obstruction of new clean energy sources. Among those calling for an end to the insane moratorium on solar development was Senate Majority Leader and solar-rich Nevada’s senator, Harry Reid (yeah he’s been busy!) who I imagine might be slightly more influential than this blogger…

Either way, it’s clear that as the price of oil continues to rise, buoying inflation and economic insecurity along with it, the time is now to tap our vast reserves of abundant renewable energy and develop the clean and cheap new American energy sources that will power the 21st Century.

So wether it’s the Bush Administration, Congressional demogauges or NIMBY enviros, we can’t afford to let Energy Delayers stand in the way of a new American energy future.

About Jesse

Jesse is a graduate of the Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon (Class of 2006). While at the U of O, Jesse worked on a number of campus sustainability initiatives, including helping kick-start the Campus Climate Challenge at the UO and starting an initiative to bring clean wind power to UO dorm students. Jesse is currently the co-director of the Breakthrough Generation fellowship program at the Oakland, CA-based Breakthrough Institute (check out the Breakthrough Generation blog here). Before joining Breakthrough, Jesse spent two years as a renewable energy policy analyst and advocate with the Renewable Northwest Project, a Portland, OR-based non-profit promoting renewable energy development in the Pacific Northwest. Jesse is still an active youth climate activist and helped found the Cascade Climate Network, the first ever, region-wide effort by Northwest youth to launch a coordinated campaign for climate solutions and a sustainable, just, and prosperous future in 2007. Jesse is also a veteran blogger, having maintained the energy and climate change news and commentary blog, WattHead for the past two and a half years.

4 Responses to “Some Refreshing Common Sense! BLM Removes Solar Roadblock”

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1 Meghan T. Jul 2nd, 2008 at 10:47 pm

But how do we know this won’t just be another example of the BLM/White House saying one thing but doing another? If they lift the moratorium but continue to process the applications at a sluggish pace, it’s won’t help much either.
2 Meghan T. Jul 2nd, 2008 at 10:49 pm

But how do we know this won’t just be another example of the BLM/White House saying one thing and doing another? If they lift the moratorium but process the applications at a sluggish pace it won’t be much of an improvement.