Future depends on fast passage of renewable energy measure
It’s almost unheard of in Washington: Renewable-energy legislation with support from both parties. Yet, on July 26, legislation passed through markup in the House Natural Resources Committee that will help create clean, renewable energy and local jobs in the West.
The Public Land Renewable Development Act has been bouncing around Congress for several years, and it may finally have the momentum it needs to pass. PLREDA will provide significant renewable energy development opportunities for Arizona and other states in the West that have an abundance of public lands.
For the past few years, stakeholders in Arizona and the West have been working to encourage siting of largescale renewable-energy generation and transmission on public lands through regional and statewide planning processes like the Western Solar Plan and Arizona’s Restoration Design Energy Project. Now it is time to provide a more comprehensive suite of incentives that allow communities throughout the West to benefit from renewable energy resources.
Passage of PLREDA will have a number of benefits for communities in Arizona and the West: » Revenue for local communities.
The new revenue-distribution formula will provide economic value to states and counties from leasing and royalty revenue to reward the implementation of a thoughtful and robust renewable energy industry on public lands. » New conservation and recreation opportunities. PLREDA will establish a conservation fund, fed by revenues from renewable energy projects on public lands, which will protect natural resources and create valuable outdoor recreation opportunities. » Priority areas for development.
By selecting areas that are best suited to renewable energy projects, similar to the successful Western Solar Plan, PLREDA will allow permitting and planning to be expedited, and environmental impacts to be minimized.
» Accountability. The requirement for periodic review of energy policy will track success and address challenges to the implementation of a renewable energy industry.
In an era that has been characterized by significant division over the value and benefit of publicly owned lands in the West, this bipartisan legislation is like an ice-cold glass of water on a 115-degree August Arizona afternoon. The House version of the bill, HR 825, enjoys 38 cosponsors, 15 of whom are Republicans, while the Senate version, S 1407, has seven co-sponsors, four of whom are Democrats. Arizonans should be proud that Reps. Andy Biggs, Trent Franks, Raúl Grijalva, David Schweikert, and Kyrsten Sinema have joined Rep. Paul Gosar in moving this legislation forward.
The bill has seen tremendous support across the West from a wide variety of stakeholders, including sportsmen and conservation groups, and could usher in a new sustainable economy of well-planned and locally supported energy development.
The future of Arizona and the West relies on a thoughtful and robust renewable-energy industry in order to take advantage of nearby resources, respond to threatening drought conditions and promote sustainable economic opportunities.
The bipartisan Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act is an essential step in moving our nation in the right direction. Please join us in urging its expeditious passage.
Ian Dowdy is a certified urban planner and director of the Sun Corridor program at Tucson-based Sonoran Institute. Erik Bakken is director of Corporate Environmental Services and Land Use at Tucson Electric Power/UNS Energy in Tucson. Email them at idowdy @sonoraninstitute.org and ebakken @TEP.com .