Feds backs down on 2-year moratorium on new solar plants for public land

News Update 3: The Bureau of Land Management reversed itself Wednesday on its plan to block any solar installations on public land while it assessed the environmental impact, apparently bowing to public pressure. New projects would have been blocked for 2 years while the study took place. This is the same Bureau of Land Management that has allowed drilling for oil and gas in thousands of spots and wants to permit uranium mining by the Grand Canyon. There are, of course, environmental concerns, especially with large projects. Impact on wildlife, water use and land reclamation after the life of the installation need to be considered. But many environmental groups agreed with the fledgling solar industry that there is a strong need to move forward more quickly on solar energy, a clean alternative to coal. There are no solar installations on federal land to date, but 125 applications are awaiting action. Much of the 119 million acres of federally managed land in the West is ideal for solar – flat, sunny desert. There are 9 utility-scale solar plants operational on private land that can produce 425 megawatts of power. At the opening of a plant in Nevada this week Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid had vowed to overturn the moratorium. AP/Newsday, New York Times, Greenwire)