By Nichola Groom
(Reuters) – The Biden administration on Thursday said the U.S. had surpassed a goal of permitting more than 25 gigawatts of clean energy projects on public lands by 2025 and finalized a plan to slash project fees for wind and solar energy on federal acreage.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The announcement marks the latest effort by the administration of President Joe Biden to leverage the nation’s 250 million acres of federal land to reach his goal of decarbonizing the U.S. power grid by 2035.
The permitted projects also appeared to satisfy a Congressional mandate from 2020 that the Interior Department permit at least 25 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2025.
KEY QUOTE
“We know that clean energy including transmission lines, solar energy and storage projects on public lands is helping communities across the country to be part of the climate solution while creating good paying jobs,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said on a call with reporters.
BY THE NUMBERS
WHAT’S NEXT
The administration is undertaking a separate effort to identify areas in 11 western states best suited for solar energy development. A final plan is expected by the end of the year.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; editing by Diane Craft)
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