The White House is accelerating the process for federal solar permitting.

Source: Sean Wolfe from Renewable Energy World

In a recent effort to streamline the federal solar permitting process, the Biden administration has announced that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will open over 31 million acres of public land across eleven western states for solar development.

The BLM's new roadmap aims to enhance solar energy production by making the siting and permitting process for renewable energy on public lands more efficient. The White House stated that this move will reduce obstacles for solar developers and speed up project reviews by directing them to areas with high solar potential and minimal conflicts with wildlife and land.

Ben Norris, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), commented, “SEIA has long advocated for increased public land access for solar and storage projects. We’re encouraged that BLM has responded to industry feedback by adding 11 million acres to its initial proposal. However, fossil fuels still have access to over 80 million acres of public land, which is 2.5 times more than what is available for solar.”

The Biden administration also claims to have reduced the median time for agencies to complete environmental impact statements by six months, which is the most detailed form of environmental review.

Wood Mackenzie forecasts that the solar industry could reach 673 GW by 2034, though estimates vary by 200 GW between high and low scenarios.

Earlier this year, nearly 200 solar and storage companies urged Congress to reform permitting, project siting, transmission, and public land access for solar and solar + storage projects.

In April, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) introduced a rule to simplify and modernize the federal environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This rule builds on over $1 billion from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and other reforms aimed at expediting federal agency permitting. These changes are designed to speed up reviews for various projects, from wildfire management and electric vehicle charging to high-speed internet and semiconductor manufacturing.

The CEQ’s Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule implements efficiencies from the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, including deadlines for environmental reviews, designating lead agencies, and creating a coordinated federal review process. Additionally, the rule introduces new tools to enhance review efficiency, such as establishing categorical exclusions and accelerating reviews for projects that can be evaluated broadly or include mitigation measures.