Meeting Information

Agenda

Hotel and Registration Info

Support

Support for WGA's Enlibra program is provided by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and by Region IX of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Background Information on Enlibra

Examples of Enlibra in Action

Policy Resolution Outlining Enlibra Principles

Frequently Asked Questions

Advisory Committee

Publications, Press Releases and Speeches

Meetings

Resource Guide

Environmental Summit
on the West II

Renewable Energy Track
Breakout Session II

Tapping the Renewable Energy
Potential on Federal Lands

There are enormous untapped renewable energy resources in the West. Many of these resources are located on lands owned by the federal government. To meet regional and national energy policy objectives, barriers to developing these resources need to be identified and removed. Recommendations will be prepared to remove barriers that are not necessary to protect the environment or to ensure a fair return to the public from the development of these publicly owned resources. Recommendations will also be prepared to enable the logical development of renewable energy resources that cross the borders between federal land management agencies and between federal and non-federal lands.

Goals for the Session 

The goals of the session are to identify barriers to tapping the renewable energy potential on federal and adjacent non-federal lands and develop recommendations for policy changes to remove such barriers while protecting other values on public lands. The session will identify and add questions, such as:

• How can federal land use planning priorities help, not hinder, the development of renewables on federal lands? Should federal government royalties be used as an incentive to increase renewable energy production? Is a federal policy needed on the use of renewables at federal facilities? · 
• Wind: What are the impediments to wind farm development on federal lands? How can the processing of rights-of-way applications on federal lands be accelerated? How can studies of avian impacts be accelerated? Is there a way to encourage private investment in wind prospecting on federal lands? 
• Geothermal: What are the impediments to geothermal leasing on federal lands? How can the backlog of lease applications be eliminated? How can appeals processes be made more timely? How can the permitting and EIS processes for geothermal facilities be expedited? Are there funds to achieve this goal? How can state and federal agency permitting be coordinated?
• Solar: How can photovoltaic opportunities on federal lands be identified? What actions could federal land management agencies take to enhance the changes for solar thermal development?
• Biomass: What coordinated federal policies are necessary to improve the economics of fuel sources for biomass energy? How can we use the fuels reduction objective of the national fire plan to expand the use of biomass energy resources on federal lands?

Hosts/Moderators: Governor Jim Geringer, Wyoming, and Kathleen Clarke, Director, Bureau of Land Management

Presenters 

The breakout session will begin with a short presentation on renewable energy resources on federal lands by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Bureau of Land Management and industry observations on barriers they believe limit the ability to tap these resources.

• Mike Kirby, Bureau of Land Management
• Carl Linvill, Energy and Economic Advisor to Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn and Director of the Nevada State Office of Energy
• John Nielsen, Land and Water Fund
• Dennis Gilles, Geothermal Energy Association
• Jon Chase, American Wind Energy Association
• Jim Trotter, Coalition of Photovoltaic Distributors

Background Material

National Conference on Opportunities to Expand Renewable Energy on Public Lands: Summary Summary of Recommendations (As Compiled by DOI)