PORTER LEGISLATION CALLS ON BLM TO EXPEDITE RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS ON FEDERAL LANDS

 

Washington, DC- Congressman Jon Porter introduced legislation today which will expedite the backlog of proposed renewable energy projects which have applied for permits to operate on federal lands. There are currently more than 210 solar energy applications pending with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and more than 217 applications pending with the BLM for wind energy projects. As western states like Nevada understand, the process to transfer needed land over to the state for development is a cumbersome, bureaucratic process.

 

As Congress has called on the private sector to step up and expedite a transition to renewable technology, there are excessive roadblocks that impede enthusiastic entrepreneurs who are banging on the door of the federal government so that they can do their share and help the United States achieve energy independence while bringing new jobs and revenue to renewable energy rich states like Nevada.

 

“Congress needs to act now to encourage the development of renewable resources on Federal lands but bureaucracy and red tape makes the process inefficient and burdensome,” Porter said. “States like Nevada, with an enormous percentage of federal land, could play an even greater role in reducing our Nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and imports, enhancing our national security and stimulating our economy.”

 

Porter’s legislation includes the following:

 

• Ensures that renewable energy developers would be able to lease or purchase federal land at fair market value;
• Expedites an efficient process for the submission and consideration of renewable energy projects;
• Directs the Secretary of Interior to expedite all those applications for renewable energy projects currently in the logjam of bureaucratic delays; and
• Directs the Secretary to identify all federal lands around the country that are suitable and feasible for alternative energy projects.