Take Action for the American Solar Energy Pilot Leasing Act of 2010 and the Clean Energy, Community Investment, and Wildlife Conservation Act PDF Print E-mail
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Ok, that's a mouthful. But these two pieces of legislation introduced just this summer both offer a unique way for renewable energy developers and habitat conservationists to forge ahead in the fight to slow climate change, create jobs and protect wildlands.

Please call or e-mail Senator Harry Reid and Congressman Dean Heller, and thank them for introducing the American Solar Energy Pilot Leasing Act of 2010 (S. 3482) and the Clean Energy, Community Investment, and Wildlife Conservation Act.
If passed, the American Solar Energy Pilot Leasing Act of 2010 will identify and lease two areas in Lincoln County for commercial solar development. They are the 2,845-acre Delamar Valley and 10,945-acre Dry Lake Valley sites (see the map below). Both are located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered lands within areas that were previously identified as Solar Energy Study Areas (SESA) by the Department of the Interior. This bill, and the more far-reaching Clean Energy, Community Investment, and Wildlife Conservation Act, share a royalty/mitigation component the Nevada Wilderness Project halped craft.  We think it's a big step forward in a "smart from the start" approach to renewable energy development and habitat conservation.

Here's how it would work: The BLM would establish a reasonable royalty, to be applied to the sale of electricity from the developed sites that would encourage production and generation of solar energy and ensure a fair return to taxpayers.

The BLM would have the ability to lower or suspend the royalty for up to five years from the start of production, in order to help solar companies get operations up and running and to be cost competitive with fossil fuel energy projects. To avoid speculative corporate investments that could slow energy production, the BLM will attach a requirement to the lease that holders diligently develop the leased parcels.


Revenues from these royalties, leases, or other payments would be
distributed as follows:dry_lake_map_sm

  • 25% to the county where the energy development took place (or Lincoln County, in the case of the Solar Energy Pilot Leasing Act)
  • 25% to the state where the development took place (Nevada, for the Solar Energy Pilot Leasing Act)
  • 35% to establish a Renewable Energy Mitigation and Fish and Wildlife Fund that will provide funding for wildlife, their habitats and related conservation projects in Nevada.
  • 15% to help fund the BLM’s processing of renewable energy permits in that state (for 10 years, then this portion goes to the Wildlife Fund).

This is an example of "smart from the start" renewable energy development, and Senator Reid and Congressman Heller have introduced bills that address tough environmental problems and offer great economic value to local Nevada communities.

Later on, we’ll need help urging the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to support the bills, but for now, please take a minute to thank Senator Reid and Congressman Heller for their work. Thank you.
 
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