Oregon – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) formally approved the expansion of its Western Solar Plan—originally developed in 2012, in what appears to be a significant development for renewable energy in Oregon. The revised proposal now includes more Western states, including Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming, significantly expanding the area for utility-scale solar project uses on public property.
The updated Western Solar Plan brings up a potential area fit for solar production spanning more than 31 million acres across 11 Western states. The BLM projects that, given the increasing need for renewable energy, about 700,000 of the land will probably be utilized by 2045.
This ambitious growth seeks to support American initiatives in shifting toward a more sustainable energy future. Still, it has not been greeted without debate. Key participant in land management debates, the Public Lands Council (PLC), has voiced significant criticism to the proposal…