Wyoming Concerned Over Biden’s Western Solar Plan

There is a battle raging over the use of public lands and shared public lands.

What will they be used for?

Cattle, energy, farming, hiking, hunting?

Maybe nothing at all, just keep everybody off.

The Biden administration has released its Western Solar Plan.

It lays out a plan allowing sprawling solar farms across 11 Western states, including Wyoming.

The plan covers 162 million acres overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and tentatively concludes that companies should be able to propose solar projects across 22 million acres — an area roughly the size of Maine… ” — L.A. Times climate correspondent Sammy Roth.

 

This plan would take up 22 million public land acres across 11 states for these solar utility projects

The affected states would include Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

The announcement is part of the Interior Department's push to site more renewable energy facilities on federal lands, a cornerstone of President Joe Biden's goal to decarbonize the U.S. electricity grid by 2035 and combat climate change. (Reuters).

By contrast, the footprint of a coal or natural gas plant is significantly smaller. This is a major part of the objection by opponents.

The typical coal and gas plant is one square mile (640 acres) or less and creates far more energy that is far cheaper and more reliable, opponents say.

They argue that coal and gas plants still operate when the sun is not shining. They do not shut down when covered with snow and ice.

A smaller footprint on the land is far better for wildlife and plant life in these areas. This includes the animals that live in the area as well as those who migrate through.

Already objections are being heard from those who make a living off the land or simply enjoy it for recreation would be greatly affected if this land is set aside for sprawling wind farms.