October 30, 2002—The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued guidelines that will help the agency respond to a growing interest in the commercial development of wind energy projects on the nation’s public lands.
The guidelines, set forth in a Wind Energy Development Policy, cover the processing of right-of-way applications for wind energy site testing and monitoring facilities, as well as applications for commercial wind energy development projects on BLM-managed public lands.
The BLM Wind Energy Policy addresses the following issues:
- Land-use plan requirements for wind energy development;
- Authorization of wind energy activities on public land as Federal Land Policy and Management Act rights-of-way;
- Establishment of rental fees for site testing and monitoring authorizations and minimum rental fees for commercial development;
- Efficient processing and tracking of right-of-way applications;
- Due diligence requirements; and
- Requirements for environmental review of wind energy activities.
For more information, contact BLM.
