Biden-Harris Administration to Accelerate Reviews of Clean Energy Proposals on Public Lands
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Defense, Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency today announced a Memorandum of Understanding to improve federal agency coordination and streamline reviews for clean energy projects located on public lands managed by the Interior and Agriculture Departments. Federal agencies will prioritize and expedite federal agency reviews by establishing interagency coordination teams with qualified staff to facilitate preparation of environmental reviews, accelerate renewable energy decision-making and coordinate all environmental and other agency reviews.
This MOU supports the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035, as well as Congress’ direction in the Energy Act of 2020 to permit 25 gigawatts of solar, wind and geothermal production on public lands no later than 2025. This builds on President Biden’s Executive Order 14008 (Sec. 207), which prioritized improved permitting for the increased deployment of clean energy on public lands. The participating agencies engaged in extensive collaboration to develop the MOU, which may later be amended to add signatories, like Tribes and states, or otherwise as needed.
“The Interior Department plays a central role in achieving this Administration’s clean energy and climate goals—from carrying out environmental reviews for clean energy projects on our nation’s public lands, to conducting meaningful consultations with Tribal Nations, and assessing potential impacts to species,” said Interior Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau. “This MOU will help inform the Bureau of Land Management’s specialized permitting process expertise and we look forward to working with our sister agencies to support a clean energy future.”
U.S. Department of the Interior