Bureau of Land Management
Solar Energy Permitting and Program Resources
The 2012 Western Solar Plan established the following policies:
Section 8 of the 2012 Western Solar Plan stated that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would develop a regional mitigation plan or strategy for each solar energy zone (SEZ), to simplify and improve the mitigation process for future projects in SEZs. The plans would be developed through a transparent stakeholder and public engagement process. Appendix A, Section A.2.4 of the 2012 Solar PEIS, describes the elements of and process for developing these solar regional mitigation strategies (SRMSs).
Links to the SRMS documents are provided below.
SRMS documents were not developed for the California SEZs, because projects within these SEZs would adhere to the mitigation requirements established in the DRECP Record of Decision.
While developing the above solar regional mitigation strategies, the BLM also released its draft Procedural Guidance for Developing Solar Regional Mitigation Strategies. That guidance is available below.
The regional mitigation strategies were conducted in accordance with the BLM's mitigation policy, Manual Section-1794, and Mitigation Handbook (H-1794-1).
Section 9 of the 2012 Western Solar Plan stated that the BLM would develop a monitoring and adaptive management strategy for its Solar Energy Program, to ensure that data and lessons learned about the impacts of solar energy projects would be collected, reviewed, and, as appropriate, incorporated into the BLM's Solar Energy Program and individual solar projects. The BLM developed such a long-term monitoring strategy for the Riverside East SEZ.
The BLM presented a framework for developing a monitoring and adaptive management plan in the 2012 Solar PEIS (Section A.2.4 of Appendix A), and also presented the elements of such a plan. The framework is based on the BLM's Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring (AIM) Strategy for condition and trend monitoring of BLM-managed resources and lands. It also takes advantage of and augments other AIM efforts, including Rapid Ecoregional Assessments, the national landscape monitoring framework, greater sage-grouse habitat analysis, and an array of local, management-driven monitoring efforts. Section A.2.4 of the 2012 Solar PEIS also stated that the BLM would take an active role in the collection of priority baseline data for SEZs (especially at broader scales and via remote sensing) and the development of a consistent monitoring schema for SEZs. Monitoring costs could be reduced in SEZs because of the ability to pool investments for monitoring and coordinate with other Federal, State, and local agencies to maximize partnerships and data sharing.
Section 9 of the 2012 Western Solar Plan stated that “required design features and any additional mitigation measures identified in right-of-way (ROW) authorizations for individual projects will be monitored by solar energy project developers and the appropriate Federal agency to ensure their continued effectiveness through all phases of development. In cases where monitoring indicates that mitigation measures are ineffective at meeting the desired resource conditions, the BLM would take steps to determine the cause and take corrective action using adaptive management strategies. This information would also be used to inform the authorization of future solar energy development activities on BLM-administered lands.”
Section B.4.3 of the 2012 Western Solar Plan detailed incentives for projects developed in solar Energy Zones (SEZs). These included (in part):
