Western Solar Plan Puts Nevada at the Center of Clean Energy Future | Nevada

As the United States prepares for a massive increase in solar energy, radically transforming the Silver State’s desert public lands is an important part of that vision.

Under the controversial Bureau of Land Management plan, which updates preferred solar zones for the first time in 12 years, Nevada takes center stage with nearly 12 million acres available for solar development — more than any of the 11 states included in the document. The agency is taking comments on the plan for 30 days until Sept. 29, when it will begin finalizing it.

In the nation’s driest state, many people have been sounding the alarm as massive solar construction overwhelms rural county workers, drains already-overburdened aquifers and disrupts desert habitats for plants and animals.

After the plan was released Aug. 30, BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning said the agency was doing everything it could to balance the priorities of protecting the environment and accelerating solar energy development needed to meet federal climate goals. The BLM office in Nevada did not respond to a request for comment.

“The updated Western Solar Plan is a responsible, pragmatic strategy for developing solar energy on our nation’s public lands,” Stone-Manning said in a statement. “It will direct responsible solar development to locations with fewer potential conflicts while helping the nation transition to a clean energy economy.”

Mixed reactions from industry and advocates

Opinions on the plan are divided.

Ben Norris, vice president of regulatory affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association, said some changes are needed, such as requiring solar installations to be located just 15 miles from a transmission line, down from the current 10.

However, some of the land in Pahrump Valley that has been excluded from solar development appears to conflict with the boundaries of six projects already proposed and in the process of obtaining federal permits, he added.

Norris said it is still unclear how the BLM’s goal of “grandfathering” new zone designations will impact these projects.

“The industry is ready to put shovels in the ground and put people to work,” he said. “We wouldn’t want a mystery item in a chaotic regulatory document to prevent us from hiring more Nevadans.”

The plan came as a surprise to Mason Voehl, executive director of the Amargosa Conservancy, who is deeply concerned about what the towns along the Amargosa River would be like if solar projects were approved there.

The solar frontier in many cases is across from people’s homes in the Nye County towns of Beatty and Amargosa Valley, he said. Land now open for development is as close as 5 miles from the Ash Meadows Nature Preserve, which residents and activists have fought hard to protect from rampant lithium mining.

“This is such an obvious environmental justice issue,” Voehl said. “It’s very clear that Nevada is shouldering most of the burden on this.”

Voehl said representatives from both cities will meet next week to decide whether they want to join the Amargosa Conservancy and submit comments to the BLM.

Conflict with proposed Nevada National Monument

The solar plan also addresses the issue of the Native American massacre site — Bahsahwahbee, or Swamp Cedars — which Nevada tribes have sought to make the state’s fifth national monument.

About 7,000 acres of the 25,000 proposed for recognition are lands that would be available for solar development, said tribal consultant Monte Sanford.

“I am stunned and confused that while our tribes are in discussions with the Biden-Harris administration about establishing this monument, the BLM has just released a plan that would allow the graves of our murdered ancestors to be razed to the ground,” Amos Murphy, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, said in a statement.

In July, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Nevada Democrat, introduced a bill that would designate the site as a national monument.

Cortez Masto said through a spokeswoman she was concerned about the conflict between green energy and tribal heritage.

“Not every location in Nevada is suitable for (solar energy) development,” Lauren Wodarski, her spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Bahsahwahbee is sacred to many tribes, and until it is designated a National Monument, Sen. Cortez Masto will continue to work with the tribes and the BLM to prevent disruption in this area.”

In rural counties, there is a shortage of personnel for solar installations

Across Nevada, understaffed, rural counties are receiving dozens of applications for funding for new solar projects.

Vince Guthreau, executive director of the Nevada Association of Counties, said most counties in the state do not have a designated natural resources manager.

In Esmeralda County alone — the state’s least populated county, which could soon issue permits for a Las Vegas-sized solar farm — there are more than 100 applications pending, he said.

“The problem is not that our counties are opposed to renewable energy or solar development,” Guthreau said. “We simply don’t have the resources to vet those applications.”

While the number of solar applications may seem daunting to employees of small counties, Guthreau said communication between large solar companies and county officials is starting to improve. Still, in his initial interpretation of the plan, he said there doesn’t appear to be a need to free up so much land.

Some victories for environmental groups

For conservationists, this plan isn’t that bad.

While the plan could significantly alter the topography of the Great Basin and Mojave Desert, it also eliminates more than 35 million acres of land for potential solar development. It excludes areas that have resources or species that need to be protected, or because they are not close enough to transmission lines and have not been previously disturbed.

The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental group, released a report in July that identified previously blighted areas that might be more ideal for solar installations. The group has been vocal about Nevada adopting a “smart by design” solar policy to minimize damage to public lands.

Peter Gower, director of the climate and renewable energy programme for the western region, said the plan did indeed take into account the group’s recommendations.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Nevada to become a model for the rest of the West in terms of what good, community-centered, resource-conscious development can look like,” Gower said.

While solar companies already have a roadmap for understanding where the BLM would be most interested in permitting projects, each individual project will still need to undergo critical review under a federal environmental impact assessment, said Kerry Rohrmeier, director of the group’s climate and energy strategy program in Nevada.

This includes a series of opportunities for public comment and consultation with cities, counties and tribes.

“Each specific project will need to be assessed for its advantages, limitations and impact,” Rohrmeier said.

Contact Alan Halaly at [email protected]. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.