Bureau of Land Management Finalizes Western Solar Plan

January 3, 2025

The BLM has finalized their Western Solar Plan, to expand the 2012 plan to now include Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. The updated Western Solar Plan identifies more than 31 million acres of public lands across the now-11 Western states as available for utility-scale solar project applications. The BLM believes that only 700,000 of those acres are likely to be developed by 2045 to meet projected demand.

The Public Lands Council (PLC) submitted robust comments in opposition of the proposed Western Solar Plan expansion and continues to be concerned that the BLM has an "acceptable loss" threshold for grazing acres or allotments that would be impacted by new solar development.

While the final Record of Decision does require BLM and project developers to mitigate impacts to grazing, the direction only extends "to the maximum extent practicable". PLC had requested BLM provide an exclusionary variance to prevent solar development from infringing on grazing allotments at all.

Like many late-breaking regulatory actions, PLC expects the incoming Trump Administration will take a hard look at this plan expansion, as prioritizing solar development over other multiple uses is inconsistent with Congressional direction and harmful to rural communities.

Source: PLC