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Biden Management Will Reduce Costs of Wind and Solar Energy Projects


WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Wednesday it will halve the amount it charges companies to build wind and solar projects on federal land, in a move designed to spur the development of renewable energy.

“Clean energy projects on public lands have an important role to play in reducing our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and lowering costs for families,” Interior Minister Deb Haaland said in a statement.

Wind and solar developers have long said that rent rates and fees for projects on federal land are too high to attract investors. Management officials said the new policy would cut those costs by about 50 percent.

California Democrat Representative Mike Levin, who sponsored legislation to accelerate renewable energy development, applauded the move. “As Americans continue to face the worsening effects of the climate crisis and rising energy bills, it is critical that we strengthen our clean energy independence to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower energy costs,” he said.

Ms. Haaland made the announcement during her trip to Las Vegas, where she hosted a renewable energy roundtable with her business groups. The Federal Bureau of Land Management also announced that it will strengthen its ability to handle the growing number of applications by wind, solar and geothermal developers by creating five new offices across the West to review proposed projects.

The decision came as the Biden administration sought to increase the royalties it charges oil and gas companies for drilling on federal land and federal waters. last month management cancels three oil and gas lease sales In the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska, it has caused Republican lawmakers to criticize new renewable energy policies as harmful to energy-producing states.

“Here’s Biden’s energy policy: wind, solar and wishful thinking,” Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, said on the Senate floor on Wednesday. “This is unrealistic and, among other things, harms our country. It hurts my people in Louisiana hopelessly.”

President Biden has pledged to roughly halve the greenhouse gases produced by the United States by 2030. To achieve this, legislation froze on Capitol Hill.

As a result, management is focusing on more limited executive actions that can promote clean energy and reduce the use of oil, gas and coal, which when burned produce carbon dioxide and other gases that dangerously heat the planet.

For example, last year, the administration gave the green light. Two major solar projects on federal land in California He said about 1,000 megawatts would generate enough electricity to power about 132,000 homes.

In a report it presented to Congress in April, the Department of the Interior said it is on track to approve 48 wind, solar and geothermal power projects with an estimated capacity to produce 31,827 megawatts of electricity that will power approximately 9.5 million homes by the end. fiscal 2025 budget cycle.

The drop in fees and rental rates comes at a challenging time for the solar industry. A Commerce Department investigation into whether Chinese companies are circumventing US tariffs by shipping solar panel components through four Southeast Asian countries has launched hundreds of new solar projects across the country.



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