The Trump administration has formally resumed permitting for solar energy projects on federal lands. As reported by Jael Holzman in "Trump Permitted a Solar Farm – Are More on the Way?" (E&E News, May 1, 2025), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved the Elisabeth solar project in Yuma County, Arizona, marking the first utility-scale solar facility on federal land greenlit by this administration. Located in a long-designated Solar Energy Zone, the project signals renewed momentum after a temporary permitting pause.

On the same day, the BLM released a draft environmental review for another Arizona project, the Avantus Pinyon solar-plus-storage facility, and acknowledged additional "reasonably foreseeable" projects in the region, suggesting broader activity ahead.

Other signs of progress include updated timelines for Nevada’s Esmerelda 7 and Utah’s Bonanza solar farm, both moving toward final approvals. The BLM is also advancing transmission lines that would support solar projects on private lands, showing some flexibility.

While it’s unclear whether this marks a lasting shift in policy or a one-off decision, Holzman's article cautiously views this as a positive development for renewable energy amid broader political uncertainty.

Read the full article here.