Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act of 2015
Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to extend through FY2020 the authorization for deposit and use of lease revenues under the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970. Makes such funds available to the Department of the Interior for FY2015 and afterwards to implement both the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970.
Directs the Bureau of Land Management to establish priority and variance areas on covered land for geothermal, solar, and wind energy projects.
Requires Interior to establish a program to improve federal permit coordination with respect to renewable energy projects carried out on public land administered by Interior and not excluded from the development of geothermal, solar, or wind energy (covered land).
Defines "variance area" as covered land that is neither an exclusion area (not suitable for development of renewable energy projects) nor a priority area.
Establishes in the Treasury the Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund, to be available in regions affected by the development of wind or solar energy on federal land for: (1) protecting and restoring important fish and wildlife habitat; and (2) ensuring and improving right-of-way access to federal land and water in the impacted region for fishing, hunting, and other forms of outdoor recreation.
Requires the Department of Agriculture as well as Interior to determine the feasibility of carrying out a conservation banking program on federal land.
Denies the rental fee exemption for rights-of-way under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act to wind or solar generation projects with a capacity of 20 megawatts or more that are issued a lease, right-of-way, permit, or other authorization.
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1407 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1407
To promote the development of renewable energy on public land, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 20, 2015
Mr. Heller (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Heinrich, and Mr. Tester)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To promote the development of renewable energy on public land, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Public Land
Renewable Energy Development Act of 2015''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
TITLE I--GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Sec. 101. Extension of funding for implementation of Geothermal Steam
Act of 1970.
TITLE II--DEVELOPMENT OF GEOTHERMAL, SOLAR, AND WIND ENERGY ON PUBLIC
LAND
Subtitle A--Environmental Reviews and Permitting
Sec. 201. Definitions.
Sec. 202. Land use planning; supplements to programmatic environmental
impact statements.
Sec. 203. Environmental review on covered land.
Sec. 204. Program to improve renewable energy project permit
coordination.
Subtitle B--Revenues and Enforcement
Sec. 211. Definitions.
Sec. 212. Disposition of revenues.
Sec. 213. Royalties.
Sec. 214. Enforcement of royalty and payment provisions.
Sec. 215. Enforcement.
Sec. 216. Segregation from appropriation under mining and Federal land
laws.
Sec. 217. Study and report on conservation banking.
Sec. 218. Applicability of law.
TITLE I--GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
SEC. 101. EXTENSION OF FUNDING FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF GEOTHERMAL STEAM
ACT OF 1970.
(a) In General.--Section 234(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005
(42 U.S.C. 15873(a)) is amended by striking ``in the first 5 fiscal
years beginning after the date of enactment of this Act'' and inserting
``through fiscal year 2020''.
(b) Authorization.--Section 234(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005
(42 U.S.C. 15873(b)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``Amounts'' and inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--Amounts''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Authorization.--Effective for fiscal year 2015 and
each fiscal year thereafter, amounts deposited under subsection
(a) shall be available to the Secretary of the Interior for
expenditure, subject to appropriation and without fiscal year
limitation, to implement the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30
U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) and this Act.''.
TITLE II--DEVELOPMENT OF GEOTHERMAL, SOLAR, AND WIND ENERGY ON PUBLIC
LAND
Subtitle A--Environmental Reviews and Permitting
SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS.
In this subtitle:
(1) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means land
that is--
(A) public land administered by the Secretary; and
(B) not excluded from the development of
geothermal, solar, or wind energy under--
(i) a land use plan established under the
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
(43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); or
(ii) other Federal law.
(2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the Bureau of Land Management.
(3) Exclusion area.--The term ``exclusion area'' means
covered land that is identified by the Bureau of Land
Management as not suitable for development of renewable energy
projects.
(4) Priority area.--The term ``priority area'' means
covered land identified by the land use planning process of the
Bureau of Land Management as being a preferred location for a
renewable energy project.
(5) Renewable energy project.--The term ``renewable energy
project'' means a project carried out on covered land that uses
wind, solar, or geothermal energy to generate energy.
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(7) Variance area.--The term ``variance area'' means
covered land that is--
(A) not an exclusion area; and
(B) not a priority area.
SEC. 202. LAND USE PLANNING; SUPPLEMENTS TO PROGRAMMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT STATEMENTS.
(a) Priority and Variance Areas.--
(1) In general.--The Director shall establish priority and
variance areas on covered land for geothermal, solar, and wind
energy projects.
(2) Deadline.--
(A) Geothermal energy.--For geothermal energy, the
Director shall establish priority and variance areas as
soon as practicable, but not later than 5 years, after
the date of enactment of this Act.
(B) Solar energy.--For solar energy, the 2012
western solar plan of the Bureau of Land Management
shall be considered to establish priority and variance
areas for solar energy projects.
(C) Wind energy.--For geothermal energy, the
Director shall establish priority and variance areas as
soon as practicable, but not later than 5 years, after
the date of enactment of this Act.
(3) Review and modification.--Not less frequently than once
every 10 years, the Director shall--
(A) review the adequacy of land allocations for
geothermal, solar, and wind energy priority and
variance areas; and
(B) based on the review carried out under
subparagraph (A), add, modify, or eliminate priority
and variance areas.
(b) Compliance With the National Environmental Policy Act.--For
purposes of this section, compliance with the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) shall be accomplished--
(1) for geothermal energy, by supplementing the October
2008 final programmatic environmental impact statement for
geothermal leasing in the western United States;
(2) for solar energy, by supplementing the July 2012 final
programmatic environmental impact statement for solar energy
projects; and
(3) for wind energy, by supplementing the July 2005 final
programmatic environmental impact statement for wind energy
projects.
(c) No Effect on Processing Applications.--A requirement to prepare
a supplement to a programmatic environmental impact statement under
this section shall not result in any delay in processing an application
for a renewable energy project.
(d) Coordination.--In developing a supplement required by this
section, the Secretary shall coordinate, on an ongoing basis, with
appropriate State, tribal, and local governments, transmission
infrastructure owners and operators, developers, and other appropriate
entities to ensure that priority areas identified by the Secretary
are--
(1) economically viable (including having access to
transmission);
(2) likely to avoid or minimize conflict with habitat for
animals and plants, recreation, and other uses of covered land;
and
(3) consistent with local planning efforts.
(e) Removal From Classification.--In carrying out subsections (a),
(b), and (c), if the Secretary determines an area previously suited for
development should be removed from priority or variance classification,
not later than 90 days after the date of the determination, the
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the determination.
SEC. 203. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW ON COVERED LAND.
(a) In General.--If the Director determines that a proposed
renewable energy project has been sufficiently analyzed by a
programmatic environmental impact statement conducted under section
202(b), the head of the applicable Federal agency shall not require any
additional review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
(b) Additional Environmental Review.--If the Director determines
that additional environmental review under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) is necessary for a proposed
renewable energy project, the head of the applicable Federal agency
shall rely on the analysis in the programmatic environmental impact
statement conducted under section 202(b), to the maximum extent
practicable when analyzing the potential impacts of the project.
SEC. 204. PROGRAM TO IMPROVE RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT PERMIT
COORDINATION.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a program to
improve Federal permit coordination with respect to renewable energy
projects on covered land.
(b) Memorandum of Understanding.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into a
memorandum of understanding for purposes of this section with--
(A) the Secretary of Agriculture;
(B) the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency; and
(C) the Chief of Engineers.
(2) State participation.--The Secretary may request the
Governor of any interested State to be a signatory to the
memorandum of understanding under paragraph (1).
(c) Interagency Coordination.--The Secretary shall establish an
ombudsperson in the Office of the Secretary, who shall be responsible
for resolving interagency disputes between 2 or more of the following
agencies:
(1) The United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
(2) The National Park Service.
(3) The Bureau of Land Management.
(d) Variance Areas.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out subsections (b) and (c),
the heads of the Federal agencies described in those
subsections shall consider entering into agreements and
memoranda of understanding to expedite the environmental
analysis of applications for projects proposed on covered land
determined by the Secretary to be a variance area under section
202.
(2) Availability for renewable energy project
development.--To the maximum extent practicable, the variance
areas described in paragraph (1) shall be made available for
renewable energy project development, after completion of an
environmental impact statement or similar analysis required
under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.), and subject to the policies and procedures set
forth by the Secretary for evaluating variance applications in
the programmatic environmental impact statement described in
section 202(b).
(e) Designation of Qualified Staff.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date on
which the memorandum of understanding under subsection (b) is
executed, all Federal signatories, as appropriate, shall assign
to each of the field offices described in subsection (f) an
employee who has expertise in the regulatory issues relating to
the office in which the employee is employed, including, as
applicable, particular expertise in--
(A) consultation regarding, and preparation of,
biological opinions under section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536);
(B) permits under section 404 of Federal Water
Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1344);
(C) regulatory matters under the Clean Air Act (42
U.S.C. 7401 et seq.);
(D) planning under section 14 of the National
Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 472a);
(E) the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.);
(F) the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et
seq.); and
(G) the preparation of analyses under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.).
(2) Duties.--Each employee assigned under paragraph (1)
shall--
(A) not later than 90 days after the date of
assignment, report to field managers of the Bureau of
Land Management in the office to which the employee is
assigned;
(B) be responsible for all issues relating to the
jurisdiction of the home office or agency of the
employee; and
(C) participate as part of the team of personnel
working on proposed energy projects, planning,
monitoring, inspection, enforcement, and environmental
analyses.
(f) Field Offices.--The field offices referred to in subsection
(e)(1) shall include field offices of the Bureau of Land Management in,
at a minimum, the States of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
(g) Additional Personnel.--The Secretary shall assign to each field
office described in subsection (f) such additional personnel as are
necessary to ensure the effective implementation of any programs
administered by the field offices, including inspection and enforcement
relating to renewable energy project development on covered land, in
accordance with the multiple use mandate of the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.).
(h) Report to Congress.--
(1) In general.--Not later than February 1 of the first
fiscal year beginning after the date of enactment of this Act,
and each February 1 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to
the Chairperson and Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report
describing the progress made pursuant to the program under this
subtitle during the preceding year.
(2) Inclusions.--Each report under this subsection shall
include--
(A) projections for renewable energy production and
capacity installations; and
(B) a description of any problems relating to
leasing, permitting, siting, or production.
Subtitle B--Revenues and Enforcement
SEC. 211. DEFINITIONS.
In this subtitle:
(1) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means land
that is--
(A)(i) public land administered by the Secretary;
or
(ii) National Forest System land administered by
the Secretary of Agriculture; and
(B) not excluded from the development of solar or
wind energy under--
(i) a final land use plan established under
the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.);
(ii) a final land use plan established
under the National Forest Management Act of
1976 (16 U.S.C. 1600 et seq.); or
(iii) other Federal law.
(2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means--
(A) land of the National Forest System (as defined
in section 11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable
Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a))); or
(B) public land.
(3) Fund.--The term ``Fund'' means the Renewable Energy
Resource Conservation Fund established by section 212(c)(1).
(4) Public land.--The term ``public land'' has the meaning
given the term ``public lands'' in section 103 of the Federal
Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702).
(5) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means--
(A) in the case of public land administered by the
Secretary, the Secretary; and
(B) in the case of National Forest System land
administered by the Secretary of Agriculture, the
Secretary of Agriculture.
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
SEC. 212. DISPOSITION OF REVENUES.
(a) Disposition of Revenues.--Without further appropriation or
fiscal year limitation, of the amounts collected as bonus bids,
royalties, rentals, fees, or other payments under a right-of-way,
permit, lease, or other authorization for the development of wind or
solar energy on covered land--
(1) 25 percent shall be paid by the Secretary of the
Treasury to the State within the boundaries of which the
revenue is derived;
(2) 25 percent shall be paid by the Secretary of the
Treasury to the 1 or more counties within the boundaries of
which the revenue is derived, to be allocated among the
counties based on the percentage of land from which the revenue
is derived;
(3) to be deposited in the Treasury and be made available
to the Secretary to carry out the program established by
section 204, including the transfer of the funds by the Bureau
of Land Management to other Federal agencies and State agencies
to facilitate the processing of renewable energy permits on
Federal land, with priority given to using the amounts, to the
maximum extent practicable, to reducing the backlog of
renewable energy permits that have not been processed in the
State from which the revenues are derived--
(A) 15 percent for each of fiscal years 2015
through 2030;
(B) 14 percent for fiscal year 2031;
(C) 13 percent for fiscal year 2032;
(D) 12 percent for fiscal year 2033;
(E) 11 percent for fiscal year 2034; and
(F) 10 percent for fiscal year 2035 and each fiscal
year thereafter; and
(4) to be deposited in the Renewable Energy Resource
Conservation Fund established by subsection (c)--
(A) 35 percent for each of fiscal years 2015
through 2030;
(B) 36 percent for fiscal year 2031;
(C) 37 percent for fiscal year 2032;
(D) 38 percent for fiscal year 2033;
(E) 39 percent for fiscal year 2034; and
(F) 40 percent for fiscal year 2035 and each fiscal
year thereafter.
(b) Payments to States and Counties.--
(1) In general.--Amounts paid to States and counties under
subsection (a) shall be used consistent with section 35 of the
Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 191).
(2) Payments in lieu of taxes.--A payment to a county under
paragraph (1) shall be in addition to a payment in lieu of
taxes received by the county under chapter 69 of title 31,
United States Code.
(c) Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund.--
(1) In general.--There is established in the Treasury a
fund, to be known as the ``Renewable Energy Resource
Conservation Fund'', to be administered by the Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, for use in
regions affected by the development of wind or solar energy on
Federal land.
(2) Use.--
(A) In general.--Amounts in the Fund shall be
available to the Secretary, who may make amounts
available to the Secretary of Agriculture, to other
Federal or State agencies, and other interested persons
in an impacted region, as appropriate, for the purposes
of--
(i) protecting and restoring important fish
and wildlife habitat on Federal land in the
impacted region; and
(ii) ensuring and improving right-of-way
access to Federal land and water in the
impacted region for fishing, hunting, and other
forms of outdoor recreation in a manner
consistent with the conservation of fish and
wildlife habitat.
(B) Advisory board.--The Secretaries shall
establish an independent advisory board composed of key
stakeholders and technical experts to provide
recommendations and guidance on the disposition of any
amounts expended from the Fund.
(3) Investment of fund.--
(A) In general.--Any amounts deposited in the Fund
shall earn interest in an amount determined by the
Secretary of the Treasury on the basis of the current
average market yield on outstanding marketable
obligations of the United States of comparable
maturities.
(B) Use.--Any interest earned under subparagraph
(A) may be expended in accordance with this subsection.
(4) Intent of congress.--It is the intent of Congress that
the revenues deposited and used in the Fund shall supplement
and not supplant annual appropriations for conservation
activities described in paragraph (2)(A).
SEC. 213. ROYALTIES.
(a) In General.--The Secretaries shall require as a term and
condition of any lease, right-of-way, permit, or other authorization
for the development of wind or solar energy on covered land the payment
of a royalty.
(b) Rate Considerations.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of Agriculture, shall establish, through rulemaking, a
royalty payable under subsection (a) that shall be a percentage of the
gross proceeds from the sale of electricity at a rate that--
(1) encourages production of solar or wind energy;
(2) ensures a fair return to the public comparable to the
return that would be obtained on State and private land; and
(3) encourages the maximum energy generation while
disturbing the least quantity of covered land and other natural
resources, including water.
(c) Different Royalty Rates.--The Secretaries shall establish--
(1) a different royalty rate for wind or solar energy
generation, which takes into account relative capacity factors
for the respective generation sources; and
(2) a reduced royalty rate for projects located within a
zone identified for development of solar or wind energy.
(d) Exclusive Payment on Sale of Electricity.--During the period of
production, a royalty paid under subsection (a) shall be the only rent,
royalty, or similar payment to the Federal Government required with
respect to the sale of electricity produced under a lease.
(e) Royalty Relief.--To promote the generation of renewable energy,
the Secretaries may reduce any royalty otherwise required on a showing
by clear and convincing evidence by the person holding a lease, right-
of-way, permit, or other authorization for the development of wind or
solar energy on covered land under which the generation of energy is or
will be produced in commercial quantities that--
(1) collection of the full royalty would unreasonably
burden energy generation; and
(2) the royalty reduction is in the public interest.
(f) Periodic Review and Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 5 years after the date of
enactment of this Act and every 5 years thereafter, the
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture,
shall--
(A) complete a review of collections and impacts of
the royalty and fees provided under this subtitle; and
(B) submit to the Committees on Energy and Natural
Resources and Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of
the Senate and the Committees on Natural Resources and
Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report
describing the results of the review.
(2) Topics.--The report shall address--
(A) the total revenues received (by category) on an
annual basis as royalties from wind, solar, and
geothermal development and production (specified by
energy source) on covered land;
(B) whether the revenues received for the
development of wind, solar, and geothermal development
are comparable to the revenues received for similar
development on State and private land;
(C) any impact on the development of wind, solar,
and geothermal development and production on covered
land as a result of the royalties; and
(D) any recommendations with respect to changes in
Federal law (including regulations) relating to the
amount or method of collection (including auditing,
compliance, and enforcement) of the royalties.
(g) Regulations.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall jointly issue final
regulations to carry out this section.
SEC. 214. ENFORCEMENT OF ROYALTY AND PAYMENT PROVISIONS.
(a) Duties of the Secretary.--The Secretary shall establish a
comprehensive inspection, collection, fiscal, and production accounting
and auditing system--
(1) to accurately determine royalties, interest, fines,
penalties, fees, deposits, and other payments owed under this
subtitle; and
(2) to collect and account for the payments in a timely
manner.
(b) Applicability of Other Law.--The Federal Oil and Gas Royalty
Management Act of 1982 (30 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (including the civil
and criminal enforcement provisions of that Act) shall apply to leases,
permits, rights-of-way, or other authorizations issued for the
development of solar or wind energy on covered land and the holders and
operators of the leases, permits, rights-of-way, or other
authorizations (and designees) under this subtitle, except that in
applying that Act--
(1) ``wind or solar leases, permits, rights-of-way, or
other authorizations'' shall be substituted for ``oil and gas
leases'';
(2) ``electricity generated from wind or solar resources''
shall be substituted for ``oil and gas'' (when used as nouns);
(3) ``lease, permit, right-of-way, or other authorization
for the development of wind or solar energy'' shall be
substituted for ``lease'' and ``lease for oil and gas'' (when
used as nouns); and
(4) ``lessee, permittee, right-of-way holder, or holder of
an authorization for the development of wind or solar energy''
shall be substituted for ``lessee''.
SEC. 215. ENFORCEMENT.
(a) In General.--Sections 302(c) and 303 of the Federal Land Policy
and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1732(c), 1733) shall apply to
activities conducted on covered land under this subtitle.
(b) Applicability of Other Enforcement Provisions.--Nothing in this
subtitle reduces or limits the enforcement authority vested in the
Secretary or the Attorney General by any other law.
SEC. 216. SEGREGATION FROM APPROPRIATION UNDER MINING AND FEDERAL LAND
LAWS.
(a) In General.--On covered land identified by the Secretary or the
Secretary of Agriculture for the development of renewable energy
projects under this subtitle or other applicable law, the Secretary or
the Secretary of Agriculture may temporarily segregate the identified
land from appropriation under the mining and public land laws.
(b) Administration.--Segregation of covered land under this
section--
(1) may only be made for a period not to exceed 10 years;
and
(2) shall be subject to valid existing rights as of the
date of the segregation.
SEC. 217. STUDY AND REPORT ON CONSERVATION BANKING.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall carry out a study
on the siting, development, and management of projects to
determine the feasibility of carrying out a conservation
banking program on Federal land.
(2) Contents.--The study under paragraph (1) shall--
(A) identify areas in which--
(i) privately owned land is not available
to fully offset the impacts of solar or wind
energy development on federally administered
land; or
(ii) mitigation investments on Federal land
are likely to provide greater conservation
value for impacts of solar or wind energy
development on federally administered land; and
(B) examine--
(i) the effectiveness of laws (including
regulations) and policies in effect on the date
of enactment of this Act in facilitating the
development and effective operation of
conservation banks;
(ii) the advantages and disadvantages of
using conservation banks on Federal land to
mitigate impacts to natural resources on State,
tribal, and private land; and
(iii) any changes in Federal law (including
regulations) or policy necessary to further
develop a Federal conservation banking program.
(b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall jointly submit to Congress
a report that includes--
(1) the recommendations of the Secretaries relating to--
(A) the most effective system for Federal land
described in subsection (a)(2)(A) to meet the goals of
facilitating the development of a conservation banking
program on Federal land; and
(B) any change to Federal law (including
regulations) or policy necessary to address more
effectively the siting, development, and management of
conservation banking programs on Federal land to
mitigate impacts to natural resources on State, tribal,
and private land; and
(2) any administrative action to be taken by the
Secretaries in response to the recommendations.
(c) Availability to the Public.--Not later than 30 days after the
date on which the report described in subsection (b) is submitted to
Congress, the Secretaries shall make the results of the study available
to the public.
SEC. 218. APPLICABILITY OF LAW.
Wind or solar generation projects with a capacity of 20 megawatts
or more that are issued a lease, right-of-way, permit, or other
authorization under applicable law shall not be subject to the rental
fee exemption for rights-of-way under section 504(g) of the Federal
Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1764(g)).
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-344.
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