New legislation that aims to significantly increase renewable energy utility projects on public lands is receiving strong bipartisan support.
Members of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources were united in support of the Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act.
The bill would increase development of large-scale renewable energy projects on public lands. It would also create a renewable energy goal of 25,000 megawatts of electricity generated by wind, solar and geothermal projects on public lands by 2025.
David Bobzien is the director of the Nevada Governor's Office of Energy, and testified at the hearing.
"Utility-scale projects are really going to be necessary, and expansion of those is going to be necessary, to meet this goal," he said. "We just can't do that without more projects on public lands."
The House bill has 33 cosponsors--17 Democrats and 16 Republicans--including several in the Mountain West. Democrats applaud the legislation's push for more renewable energy, while Republicans tout the jobs it could create.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUER in Salt Lake City, KUNR in Nevada, and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.
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