The new plan updates a 2012 plan that covered six southwestern states, including Colorado, with the updated plan now including 11 states.

It seeks to guide solar project development by identifying lands near transmission lines and previously disturbed lands as available for project applications while excluding sensitive areas like specially protected lands, lands containing important cultural resources, and critical wildlife habitat, the Interior Department said in a news release. It said this will help ensure responsible development, speed the permitting process and provide greater predictability to the solar energy industry.

The Interior Department says only about 700,000 acres of the land identified as being available is expected to be developed by 2045 to meet projected solar power demand, but the much larger available area allows for greater flexibility in considering project proposals.

Any applications would have to undergo site-specific environmental reviews with opportunities for public comment before a decision is made on whether to approve them.

In Colorado, the 2012 plan identified four priority areas for solar energy development, totaling about 16,300 acres, all in the San Luis Valley. It designated another 95,000 acres, the majority of it in the San Luis Valley, as potentially available for such projects with certain stipulations or considerations, and made nearly 7.2 million acres in the state off limits for such projects.

The newly finalized plan makes 594,134 acres in Colorado available for applications. Besides lands in the Grand Junction region, the plan makes available sizable amounts of acreage in areas including the San Luis Valley, far-northwestern Colorado and southwest Colorado, along with generally smaller amounts of land elsewhere.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement, “Under the Biden-Harris administration, the Interior Department has moved at the pace needed to meet the moment and swiftly grow a robust and sustainable clean energy economy while protecting precious resources in America’s public lands. With an updated Western Solar Plan, created with extensive input from the public, the Department will ensure the responsible development of solar energy across the West for decades to come.”

The Interior Department says that since January 2021, the BLM has approved 45 renewable energy projects on public lands and exceeded a goal of permitting 25 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2025.

In a news release, some conservation groups said, “Decarbonizing the energy sector should not harm the West’s lands, waters, biodiversity or communities. The final Western Solar Plan better balances the scale of energy production with protections for wildlife, habitat, and cultural resources. The Wilderness Society, Natural Resources Defense Council, Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, National Parks Conservation Association, National Audobon Society and Conservation Lands Foundation look forward to working with the BLM, partners, and the solar industry to identify more discrete, low-impact areas where large-scale solar projects will be incentivized and prioritized.”

Frank Macchiarola with the American Clean Power Association said in a statement, “It’s disappointing BLM did not finalize a more balanced approach to development and conservation. The solar industry has consistently raised concerns during this process about the impact of land exclusions and project design features that are not even remotely addressed by this decision. … This final decision represents a missed opportunity to deliver benefits to the U.S. economy and our energy security and reliability by helping pending and future projects get approved on an appropriate timeline.”

Among entities that filed protests related to the solar plan were Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, or PEER, which along with some others raised concerns about threats from solar development to the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. That route runs from Santa Fe to Los Angeles and passes through the Grand Junction area. PEER and some others recently sued the BLM over its alleged failure to meet legal requirements to protect the trail, including from potential oil and gas development in the Grand Junction area.

The BLM says it has complied with pertinent statutes and regulations related to management of the trail.