Wonkette
Remember how the liberals and environmentalists were freaking out, a few days ago, because the BLM wanted to stop accepting solar-energy applications for federal land in the southwest until maybe the environmental impact of the other 125 projects already submitted could be given the sort of environmental review the environmentalists generally believe is a good thing? Well, never mind.
The BLM has gone from a sinister Chimperor McCheney Oil Company Corporate Cabal back to another federal agency with a bunch of “green” speculators overwhelming it with applications for free land so the speculators can build solar plants and sell the energy, for profit, to utility companies, the end. Here’s what they just mailed out:
From: xxx_xxxx@blm.gov
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 2:26 PM
Subject: BLM to Continue Accepting Solar Energy ApplicationsIn response to public interest in solar energy development, the Bureau of Land Management is announcing that it plans to continue accepting applications for future potential solar development on the public lands. The BLM will process these applications, while continuing to identify issues during public scoping currently underway for the programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).
“We heard the concerns expressed during the scoping period about waiting to consider new applications,” said BLM Director James Caswell, “and we are taking action. By continuing to accept and process new applications for solar energy projects, we will aggressively help meet growing interest in renewable energy sources, while ensuring environmental protections.”
The BLM had previously advised that it was temporarily suspending acceptance of new solar applications pending completion of the PEIS, while the agency processed the 125 applications previously received.
With today’s announcement, the BLM will now accept additional applications for solar energy projects and process them with the 125 already submitted.
The public scoping period for the programmatic EIS continues through July 15, 2008. During this time, the public may continue to comment on the scope of the PEIS either online through the online comment form at http://solareis.anl.gov/involve/comments or by mail to Solar Energy PEIS Scoping, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave. - EVS/900, Argonne IL 60439. Three public scoping meetings remain, July 8 in Tucson, Arizona; July 9 in San Luis Obispo, California; and July 10 in El Centro, California. Details about meeting locations are available on the project website,
http://solareis.anl.gov/involve/pubschedule/index.cfm .“The BLM has a longstanding commitment to advancing renewable energy development,” added Caswell. In 2005 the BLM completed a PEIS for wind energy development on public lands and recently published for public comment a Draft PEIS on geothermal energy development. These efforts and the current solar energy initiative will facilitate opportunities for renewable energy development on the public lands.
The BLM manages more land - 258 million surface acres - than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, and cultural resources on the public lands.
-BLM-
Libtards 1, Ken Layne 0.
John McCain had a BLM today! Fortunately, he was wearing his Depends™ at the time.
It’s all fun and games until somebody raises something’s temperature to stellar levels.
The one time anyone ever pays attention to hippies, and they turn out to be wrong.
…lets go drill in ANWAR to celebrate! No?
Is buttseks mentioned in Ken’s diatribe? I’ll read on, is so.
After the fence catches them, can’t we burn the illegals to provide energy?
Nationalize it. Now.
Translation: The BLM realized that wandering cows are unlikely to interfere with a mostly stationary solar farm, and so they can continue making ranchers happy by letting their critters free-graze public lands for low,low prices while possibly permitting some hippie power plants on said land.
AFAIK, there’s never been an EIS on public lands for the kind of damage cows do.
ronaldpagan: hippies=wrong, never….imagine all the carbon credits that can be accrued by filling public lands with bio-degradable, renewable solar panels ie…money
I’m a open a can o’BLM on yo ass, muthafuckah!
NO FUCKING SNARK HERE
Public land is public land dammit. Most of those fucking solar plants are going to go into places like the Owens Valley, which means that the World’s Largest Playground will be infiltrated and destroyed by the environmental impact of YET ANOTHER government entity. Fuck this. “Land Leases” are like what LA did to us back in the early 1900’s, and therefore must fucking die, now.
BLM has been building trust with folks for a while now. I hope they don’t screw it all up.
Fucking Liberals and their fucking solar bullshit.
bitchincamaro: *if*, fuckhead.
Huh?
shortsshortsshorts:
I had NO IDEA that teh Wonkettez had so many opinionz!
Quacker:
Not that I don’t share them actually…..
Quacker: Once in a long, long while, even a pair of shorts needs to shit his opinions all over.
‘ere.
BLM discover some spare file cabinets in the back and is ready to start filing and forgetting new applications. Everybody wins.
People who want to use public lands for private, for-profit ventures (ideally w/big federal subsidies and guaranteed purchase agreements) are called “free-market capitalists.” Like Haliburton. Isn’t the free market a beautiful thing?
Gopherit v2.0: Ooh! Grazing allotments. Sheep are worse than cows, though.
shortsshortsshorts: tell us how you really feel
tunamelt: I am very anger!
shortsshortsshorts:
(snark off) At least they are cogent opinions. (snark back on)
Perhaps the best solution to this problem is forcing California energy-industry execs to labor the wheel, creating enough energy to power our state of 36 million hell-spawns.
SNARK ON. This is one of ‘dem PEOPLE PLEASE FUCKING SAY SOMETHING like angry retarded liberals-type-threads.
Libtards look once! They see solar power, and they want to penetrate it deeply, sensually– but discreetly of course.
But NOOO… They look twice and find that it is EVIL, a PLOT from the Decepticons! Who knew? Who should know? You can at least (partially) blame the Sierra Club for this. They love the attention.
shortsshortsshorts: *and the BLM suddenly sucks cock*/
/fixed
“The BLM has a longstanding commitment to advancing renewable energy development”
Is that why they’re oftened referred as The Bureau of Lumber & Mining?
Servo: Awesome.