The Interior Department Still Has to Face Hurdles to Meet Its Renewables Goal

The Obama administration wants to double production of clean energy from public lands, but it still has challenges to face.

Part of a Series

Idea of the Day

Idea of the Day

It took a little less than four years for the Obama administration to reach its goal of authorizing 10,000 megawatts’ worth of renewable-energy projects on federal land, attaining that milestone in October 2012 with the approval of the 1,000-turbine, 3,000-megawatt Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project in Wyoming.

In June of this year, President Barack Obama doubled down on that achievement by unveiling his comprehensive Climate Action Plan. As part of that effort, the president directed the Department of the Interior to permit another 10,000 megawatts’ worth of renewable-electricity projects on public lands. Together, the 20,000 megawatts of renewable energy generated by these projects would provide enough clean, inexhaustible power for 6 million homes and vividly demonstrate the critical role that clean energy development on public lands can play in the fight against climate change.

For more on this topic, please see:

The Interior Department Is Halfway to Its New Renewables Goal, But Hurdles Remain by Tom Kenworthy

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