Arizona public land noted for possible wind, solar projects

 

Cronkite News ServiceMon Jan 21, 2013 11:16 PM

The U.S. Interior Department on Friday designated 192,100 acres of Arizona public land as having potential for large-scale wind- and solar-energy development.

“Arizona has huge potential when it comes to building a clean energy economy, and this landscape-level plan lays a solid foundation for making sure that it happens in the right way and in the right places,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a news release.

The decision follows a 3-year statewide environmental analysis of sites that could accommodate renewable-energy development. The selected parcels are disturbed land, primarily used for agriculture, and also include land that the agency said was found to not have environmental or wildlife concerns.

The areas have access to transmission lines and load centers and are near urban areas with high electricity demand, said Kathy Pedrick, special assistant to the Bureau of Land Management’s state director.

She said the announcement creates a “go-to map” for sustainable-energy developers, though each proposal will undergo a site-specific environmental review.

“We analyzed what would be the impact of future development on these resources on these lands,” Pedrick said. “Interested investors can look at our maps and analysis and identify areas that already have been shown for having less resource conflicts, or that are probably more suited for renewable-energy development.
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