The Department of Interior took to its official Twitter (X) account Tuesday to reaffirm its commitment to fully developing renewable energy resources on federal public land and in public waters as a top party policy priority mandated by the Biden/Harris administration:
"At the start of the Administration, our nation had approved zero offshore wind energy projects. Today, we have nine - enough to power nearly 5 million homes. This is what developing a clean energy transition looks like,” - Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, August 2024.
This position is re-enforced in numerous recent DOI actions including but not limited to:
Large scale power generation facilities such as Greenlink West and Ten Link Transmission Projects across vast swaths of public land-
www.doi.gov
www.doi.gov
Cancellation and transition away from OG on Public Lands to focus on renewables -
https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/b...otection-28-million-acres-public-lands-alaska
getting these renewable energy facilities built rapidly by streamlining the permitting process to eliminate troublesome red tape. - https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/i...mline-and-modernize-offshore-renewable-energy
www.doi.gov
It will be interesting to see if politically oriented hunting groups such as BHA, NWF, Randy Newberg, others continue to support/endorse this administration despite its policy prioritization of industrial scale development of public land for a second consecutive term. I was told by these groups that this administration was good for public land hunters but I have not found that to be the case. Consumptive use renewable development on public land will be the policy platform going forward since one side of aisle is pledging complete and comprehensive switch renewable energy generation within 1-2 decades. Here is some additional information from Reuthers if the link works for folks (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-surpasses-renewable-energy-goal-public-lands-2024-04-11/). I will quote the article - "We know that clean energy including transmission lines, solar energy and storage projects on public lands is helping communities across the country to be part of the climate solution while creating good paying jobs," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said on a call with reporters.
Personally, I am all of the above energy person and not against some development but the full scale, rapid development of renewables requires far more public land resources than something like OG. These are fresh projects that require long term consumptive use whereas OG infrastructure is there already and these facilities while not ideal are able to be hunted around or on top of in many cases. Unlike renewable facilities.
I hope you find this information useful in regards to the energy decisions being made on your public lands. I would encourage you to keep up to date on public land topics at the DOI newsroom on the official website which does a decent job with their releases.
Interior is playing a leading role in creating a clean energy future through increased production of renewable energy on public lands and waters, including:
solar
onshore and offshore wind
wave and tidal energy
hydropower
Learn more: https://t.co/aUunDMGaoE pic.twitter.com/H0CJf7w4vS
— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) August 27, 2024
"At the start of the Administration, our nation had approved zero offshore wind energy projects. Today, we have nine - enough to power nearly 5 million homes. This is what developing a clean energy transition looks like,” - Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, August 2024.
This position is re-enforced in numerous recent DOI actions including but not limited to:
Large scale power generation facilities such as Greenlink West and Ten Link Transmission Projects across vast swaths of public land-
Acting Deputy Secretary Daniel-Davis Highlights Department’s Clean Energy Progress in Nevada | U.S. Department of the Interior
Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis visited Las Vegas today to highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s significant progress in meeting President Biden’s ambitious clean energy goalsBiden-Harris Administration Celebrates Groundbreaking of New Transmission Line, Delivering Clean, Reliable, Affordable Energy to Millions of Americans | U.S. Department of the Interior
Vice President Harris, Secretary of the Interior Haaland, Secretary of Energy Granholm, and National Climate Advisor Zaidi today celebrated the groundbreaking of Ten West Link, a new 500kV high voltage transmission line that will connect Southern California and Central Arizona.Cancellation and transition away from OG on Public Lands to focus on renewables -
https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/b...otection-28-million-acres-public-lands-alaska
getting these renewable energy facilities built rapidly by streamlining the permitting process to eliminate troublesome red tape. - https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/i...mline-and-modernize-offshore-renewable-energy
Biden-Harris Administration’s Central Atlantic Offshore Wind Lease Sale Yields Nearly $93 Million | U.S. Department of the Interior
Interior announced the results from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s wind energy auction for two lease areas offshore the states of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The sale – the first in the region in a decade – resulted in two provisional winners and $92.65 million in winning bids.It will be interesting to see if politically oriented hunting groups such as BHA, NWF, Randy Newberg, others continue to support/endorse this administration despite its policy prioritization of industrial scale development of public land for a second consecutive term. I was told by these groups that this administration was good for public land hunters but I have not found that to be the case. Consumptive use renewable development on public land will be the policy platform going forward since one side of aisle is pledging complete and comprehensive switch renewable energy generation within 1-2 decades. Here is some additional information from Reuthers if the link works for folks (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-surpasses-renewable-energy-goal-public-lands-2024-04-11/). I will quote the article - "We know that clean energy including transmission lines, solar energy and storage projects on public lands is helping communities across the country to be part of the climate solution while creating good paying jobs," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said on a call with reporters.
- The Interior Department has permitted nearly 29 GW of clean energy on public lands - enough to power more than 12 million homes.
- The Bureau of Land Management, which manages 250 million acres of federal lands, has permitted more than 7 GW of projects since 2021. The agency is processing permits for an additional 32 GW of renewable energy.
- The finalized Renewable Energy Rule will reduce fees for solar and wind projects on federal lands by 80% while streamlining the application process.
Personally, I am all of the above energy person and not against some development but the full scale, rapid development of renewables requires far more public land resources than something like OG. These are fresh projects that require long term consumptive use whereas OG infrastructure is there already and these facilities while not ideal are able to be hunted around or on top of in many cases. Unlike renewable facilities.
I hope you find this information useful in regards to the energy decisions being made on your public lands. I would encourage you to keep up to date on public land topics at the DOI newsroom on the official website which does a decent job with their releases.