September 1, 2024 – TUCSON, Ariz.— The U.S. Bureau of Land Management released its Western Solar Plan last Thursday, proposing to open more than 31 million acres of public lands across 11 Western states to industrial-scale solar energy development, a 40% increase over the agency’s draft plan.

Large-scale solar energy is an important component of the clean energy transition, but projects sited on sensitive public lands and within endangered species habitat can cause significant risks for wildlife.

“We’re deeply disappointed that the Bureau of Land Management is putting energy developers ahead of wildlife and protected public lands,” said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “There’s room on public lands for thoughtfully sited solar energy projects. We don’t need to destroy tens of millions of acres of wildlife habitat to achieve our clean energy goals. This plan allows for death by a thousand cuts, where inappropriately sited industrial projects can proliferate across sensitive public lands throughout the West.”

The final plan excludes protections for undeveloped landscapes and allows solar development far from transmission lines. Important habitats for vulnerable species such as desert tortoises remain open for development. The Center had advocated for concentrating solar development on previously disturbed public lands.

Also on the chopping block are special landscapes that are of high conservation priority. These include the Amargosa River Basin in Nevada and the remote Arizona Strip between the Grand Canyon and Utah.

The plan is now open for a 30-day administrative protest period, during which people and groups that have already commented on the plan can raise concerns.

“This plan will set the trajectory for solar energy development across the West for decades to come and the Bureau of Land Management has one last chance to get this right,” said Spivak. “We’ll be fighting to ensure the clean energy transition doesn’t come at the expense of West’s precious wildlife, wild places and rich biodiversity.”

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

Source: Center for Biological Diversity