Bureau of Land Management
Solar Energy Permitting and Program Resources
The Approved Record of Decision for Resource Management Plan Amendments for Utility-Scale Solar Energy Development was issued on December 20th, 2024 — details are available on the BLM's Utility-Scale Solar Energy Development PEIS/RMPA webpage. Relevant information on the 2024 Western Solar Plan and the BLM's Renewable Energy Rule issued in July 2024, is in the process of being updated on this website.
Applications for solar energy development filed on lands outside of designated leasing areas (DLAs), which subsequently become DLAs, will continue to be processed by the BLM and are not subject to the competitive leasing offer process if the applications are filed prior to the publication of the notice of intent or other public announcement from the BLM of the proposed land use plan amendment to designate the solar leasing area.
If the application was filed on or after the date of publication of the notice of intent, it will remain in pending status unless withdrawn by the applicant, denied, or issued a grant by the BLM, or if the subject lands become available for application or leasing. The BLM may resume processing such a pending application if no other bids are received for the lease area (see 43 CFR 2809.17(d)(2)).
An applicant that submits a bid on a parcel of land for which an application is pending as described above may qualify for a variable offset, and receive a refund for any unused application fees or processing costs if the lands identified in the application are subsequently leased to another entity.