Biden admin looks to open up 31 million acres for solar after locking up oil, gas in huge swath of Alaska

The Biden administration proposed to open up tens of millions of acres of public lands to solar development on Thursday after cementing restrictions on oil and gas activity across large swaths of Alaska.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rolled out its proposed “Western Solar Plan,” which would put approximately 31 million acres across 11 western states on the table for possible solar development. The agency’s solar plan comes on the heels of its Tuesday announcement that it had finalized protections for 28 million acres of public land in Alaska that will effectively prohibit oil and gas activity on that acreage.

“The updated Western Solar Plan is a responsible, pragmatic strategy for developing solar energy on our nation’s public lands that supports national clean energy goals and long-term national energy security,” BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning said of the Western Solar Plan. “It will drive responsible solar development to locations with fewer potential conflicts while helping the nation transition to a clean energy economy, furthering the BLM’s mission to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.”

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The Western Solar Plan does not specifically authorize any particular solar projects, according to BLM. The plan is in line with Biden administration priorities such as transitioning the U.S. to a 100% carbon-free electricity grid by 2035, fighting climate change, and pursuing “environmental justice.”

BLM’s restrictive actions in Alaska earlier this week are the latest example of the Biden administration’s efforts to crack down on fossil fuel activity on public lands and waters. The administration tried to halt new oil and gas leasing on federally-controlled land and water in 2021 before courts intervened, issued the skimpiest five-year offshore oil leasing schedule in modern U.S. history, retroactively canceled oil and gas leases, and restricted future development in about half of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).

The Biden administration has imposed at least 55 executive actions and orders specifically targeting Alaska since 2021, according to the office of Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

BLM did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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