More utility-scale solar operations are coming to BLM properties. The Public Lands Council tells aginfo.net that while the areas are promoted as “multiple uses,” the reality is much different.
“There’s no question that we’re going to see an explosion of solar development on BLM land, specifically, because of new policies that expanded the agency’s direction to site utility-scale solar on public lands. That has a direct impact on grazing, and so our members are going to be not only working on ways to mitigate that impact to grazing but also make sure that multiple use can persist because when you see utility-scale solar installed, it’s a conversion of the landscape to solar only rather than the expectation that the landscape will continue to be in multiple use,” said Kaitlyn Glover.
Glover says the next several years will likely hold large regulatory and legal challenges.
