14 DAY TRIAL // Just recently, representatives of the US Department of the Interior and Department of Energy made it public news that several areas of public lands might soon be used for green purposes.
Thus, it is expected that considerable amounts of money will go into developing and implementing solar energy projects.
The Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) argues that solar energy can – and should – be successfully harvested in six south-western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.
Apparently, these regions are the least likely to foster environmental conflicts or similar other issues.
Moreover, the natural conditions here allow for maximum efficiency in terms of generating electricity by means of solar power.
The official report characterizes them as having excellent solar resources, a good energy transmission potential and no negative impact on biological, cultural and historic resources.
Rumor has it that the decision to look into the possibility of putting public lands to a green use stems from the fact that, not very long ago, a report made public by the Center for American Progress indicated that just 1% of the renewable energy sources available in said areas were harvested and made to meet the energy demands of the US citizens.
The official website for the US Department of the Interior quotes Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who argued that, “Developing America's solar energy resources is an important part of President Obama's commitment to expanding American-made energy, increasing energy security, and creating jobs.”
He further explained how, “This new roadmap builds on that commitment by identifying public lands that are best suited for solar energy projects, improving the permitting process, and creating incentives to deliver more renewable energy to American homes and businesses.”
According to the same sources, a total of 285,000 acres of public land are soon to house solar-energy projects. Should things go as planned, about 7 million American households might be powered by the sun in the not so distant future.