The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has reversed its recent moratorium on new applications for solar-energy projects on public land, allowing companies to keep submitting proposals for new solar projects. The solar-project freeze had been instituted in late May while the BLM began conducting a two-year study on the potential environmental impacts of solar projects on public lands; the agency said the study would eventually help to speed projects along. However, due to pressure from the solar industry, Congress, and the public, the agency decided Wednesday that it could continue to process new applications after all, even as it studied solar’s environmental impacts. The victory is only partial, however, as the BLM hasn’t actually approved any of the 130 solar-project applications it already has. So, really, not approving a few more isn’t that big of a deal for the agency. “We’re encouraged that the BLM lifted their moratorium, but we’re only halfway there,” said Rhone Resch of the Solar Energy Industries Association. “We now need to get them to expedite the permitting of the solar projects.”
