Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) has reintroduced legislation increasing the production of wind and solar energy on public land.
Named the Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act (PLREDA), Rep. Gosar's bill identifies publicly owned land prime for renewable energy development and allocates lease revenues for wind, solar, and geothermal energy development in those areas.
Specifically, 25% of lease revenue will go to the state and local governments each, another quarter will go toward the establishment of wildlife conservation, and the remaining 15% will be for funding the Department of the Interior and 10% to reduce the federal deficit.
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Rep. Gosar noted that the 50% shares of lease revenue for state and local governments will "allow rural and western communities to benefit from renewable energy development on federal lands to support essential services."
Additionally, the bill improves coordination of development efforts via a new Renewable Energy Coordination Office and encourages state, federal, and local cooperation in those efforts, and establishes several members of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to act as coordinators, planners, and supervisors of these public lands projects.
"The previous administration’s unprecedented four-year war on American energy made it nearly impossible to produce domestic energy on public lands and was nothing short of catastrophic," said the Arizona Congressman in his press release, adding, "While timely permitting of energy projects on federal lands was a serious problem, looking ahead, renewable energy sources like wind and solar should be an integral part of the United States’ all-of-the-above energy strategy. Our nation’s public lands can play a critical role in lowering energy prices and can help meet our nation’s growing energy demand."
Gosar's bill comes on the heels of Representative Juan Ciscomani's (R-AZ) reintroduced Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement, which improves the provision of clean water to the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, thereby spurring economic growth in the region through the authorization and construction of water-related infrastructure.
