Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. talk to the media after an event announcing the establishment of solar energy zones on large areas of Bureau of Land Management land in six Western states at UNLV in Las Vegas on Friday, October 12, 2012.
Published Friday, Oct. 12, 2012 | 12:10 p.m.
Updated Friday, Oct. 12, 2012 | 5:30 p.m.
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U.S. officials have finalized a plan to spur solar-energy projects on federal lands in Nevada and other Western states.
And Sen. Harry Reid, a staunch advocate, made sure to take a jab at Nevada’s largest electricity provider, saying NV Energy refuses to consider some clean-energy efforts.
At a press conference Friday at UNLV, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar signed the incentive plan, known as the “Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.” It designates 17 solar energy zones in six states totaling nearly 285,000 acres. Nevada has five zones, comprising about 60,400 acres.
Officials say the zones are well-suited for large-scale solar projects, with Salazar calling them “sweet spots.” The zones have access to existing or planned transmission lines, and developers would receive expedited permitting if they build there. More zones could eventually be added.
Under the program, developers would acquire a right-of-way to build on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property and then pay royalties to the government. Payment levels are based on the amount of acreage involved and the value of the right-of-way, Salazar said.
“We’re basically mapping out the future of solar energy,” he said.
Reid, the Senate majority leader, said a dozen renewable energy projects were completed in Nevada in the last four years under President Barack Obama, a fellow Democrat, while there were none in Nevada under Obama’s predecessor, Republican President George W. Bush.
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