To promote the development of renewable energy on public land, and for other purposes.
This bill aims to aggressively promote renewable energy development on public land (federal public lands and National Forest System lands under certain authorities) by raising national production goals, speeding up planning and permitting, and directing revenues to support both project development and conservation/public access. Core ideas include designating priority areas for wind, solar, and geothermal projects; updating programmatic environmental analyses to reflect current science and needs; delegating certain permitting tasks to state Renewable Energy Coordination Offices to speed processing; and creating a Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund to restore habitat and improve public access while sharing revenues with states and counties. The overall effect is a more centralized framework to accelerate development of wind, solar, and geothermal energy on public lands, while attempting to balance environmental, cultural, and recreational values. Potential impacts include faster timelines for project approvals in designated priority areas, clearer rules on rents and cost recovery, and dedicated funding for habitat protection and public access. Critics may scrutinize environmental trade-offs in priority areas, the extent of deference to state coordination, and how revenues are distributed between federal agencies, states, counties, and conservation efforts.
Key Points
- 1National energy goals updated and timeline extended
- 2- National goals for renewable energy production on federal land are increased from 25 to 60 (units not specified in the summary, likely gigawatts) and the target date is moved to December 31, 2030. The bill also requires a fresh update to these goals within 18 months of enactment, in consultation with the relevant agencies.
- 3Priority areas, planning, and expedited processing
- 4- The Secretary must designate priority areas on covered land for renewable energy projects and establish areas eligible for project applications, while ensuring adherence to multiple-use planning and the broader national goals. The plan updates must consider transmission access and mitigation sequencing. Applications in priority areas receive processing preference, and applicants may participate in regional mitigation plans.
- 5Permitting streamlined through state offices; cost recovery and timelines
- 6- The Secretary may delegate processing of wind/solar project applications on BLM land to State Renewable Energy Coordination Offices, with rules on grants/leases and oversight. A cost-recovery agreement is required within 30 days of a complete application, and this agreement plus payment of fees can preclude new land claims while the project is active. The bill also creates timelines for notices of intent to prepare environmental impact statements and allows for possible categorical exclusions for certain early geotechnical/meteorological work.
- 7Revenue sharing and a conservation fund
- 8- Revenues from wind/solar projects (bonuses, rents, fees, etc.) are distributed among states, counties, the Renewable Energy Management account, and the Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund, with different shares that shift over time (2026–2045 vs. 2046 onward). A rule will be issued to handle multi-state projects. The Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund can fund habitat restoration, wildlife corridors, wetlands, and public access improvements, with annual reporting to Congress. The intent is to supplement, not replace, annual appropriations.
- 9Economic certainty and decommissioning
- 10- Rental rates and fees must reflect private-land equivalents in the relevant state/counties, with options to use existing survey data rather than individual appraisals. Base rental rate increases must track a government price index (BEA GDP deflator). A bonding framework is created for decommissioning, focusing on net reclamation costs minus salvage value rather than a fixed per-acre minimum. Capacity fees may be allowed if regionally practiced elsewhere.