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.
Two SEZs were identified in California through the 2012 Western Solar Plan: Imperial East SEZ and Riverside East SEZ. The West Chocolate Mountains SEZ was subsequently identified through a planning effort to identify a Renewable Energy Evaluation Area (REEA) in BLM California's El Centro Field Office (which produced the West Chocolate Mountains REEA Final Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed California Desert Conservation Area Plan Amendment), for which a Record of Decision was signed in August 2013.
Additional SEZ information and maps for each California SEZ are available on the SEZ-specific Web pages for Imperial East, Riverside East, and West Chocolate Mountains.