NEW ENERGY ON PUBLIC LAND

Renewable Energy Development on Public Lands Highlighted in Interagency Report to Congress
May 9, 2011 (U.S. Department of the Interior)

"…[T]he Obama Administration continued to make significant gains last year in expanding renewable energy initiatives on public lands and offshore areas, according to a detailed… joint USDA and DOI report, New Energy Frontier – Balancing Energy Development on Federal Lands…[It documents] development of renewable and conventional energy from federal lands and Outer Continental Shelf areas…[and describes] the Administration's plan of action… to spur the development of environmentally responsible commercial-scale wind, geothermal and solar projects in the West and to open appropriate areas of the Atlantic Ocean to wind turbine farms…

"…[It also discusses the development of] the next generation of biofuels and wood to energy options…President Obama is committed to reducing the nation’s net imports of oil by one-third by 2025 and in support of this goal the administration plans to break ground on four biorefineries in the next two years…[to permanently reduce] dependence on oil. USDA is doing research into new biofuel production methods and has established five regional research centers working on the science necessary to ensure biofuels can be produced profitably from a diverse range of feedstocks. USDA is also offering support to build the infrastructure needed to deliver the fuel to consumers at the gas station."

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"Among the departments’ major renewable energy initiatives last year…[1] Interior’s Bureau of Land Management approved nine large-scale solar projects, with a total generating capacity of 3,682 MW…[2] USDA launched a major new Wood-to-Energy Initiative that seeks to build a forest restoration economy by integrating wood-to-energy activities within the larger forest products sector…[and in] National Forests, USDA has helped remove 86,927 tons of biomass to produce energy…[3] Identified 24 solar energy study areas in six western states, comprising more than 1,000 square miles, being analyzed in detail… for large-scale solar energy production…

"…[4] USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program can provide funding for the development of renewable energy projects on public lands…In the past two years, REAP has assisted in more than 270 wind energy projects…[5] Utilized the ‘Smart from the Start’ approach used in processing solar projects in the West to guide the Atlantic OCS wind energy initiative…[for] development of the region’s vast offshore wind resources…[6] Expanded the 25 wind energy facilities on BLM lands in the West by approving four new projects…[7] Through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, USDA has provided funding for the development of new tools to better evaluate the impact of expanded biofuel production…"

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"…[8] Worked to increase geothermal energy production on public lands, approving four priority geothermal projects in Nevada since 2009…[and oversee] 58 [producing] geothermal leases…on BLM lands and 120 [producing] geothermal leases…on U.S. Forest Service lands…[aiming for] 12,210 MW of electrical generating capacity from 244 geothermal power plants by 2025.

"The report also details how traditional oil and gas resources produced from Federal lands and waters, which presently account for about 30 percent of the Nation’s energy supply, will continue…[and] details the needed regulatory reforms undertaken to strengthen the safety and oversight of offshore exploration, development and production in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster…"