BLM to invest $2.4 million in cultural study in California and Arizona

WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Land Management today announced an investment of nearly $2.4 million from the President's Investing in America agenda through the Inflation Reduction Act to develop a cultural landscape study and predictive model for public lands in California and Arizona. The study would identify and provide a better understanding of the impacts of renewable energy development on Tribal ancestral lands and other significant landscapes in the Colorado River Basin, in order to improve responsible siting and processing of right-of-way applications for renewable energy.

The BLM will partner with the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory for the study. Argonne previously conducted cultural landscape assessments for the BLM in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, and developed impact assessments and mitigation strategies for renewable energy development throughout the western U.S. The Laboratory is currently working on a landscape study and predictive model for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area in California.

"It is important to understand the cultural values of the lands in our care, so we can guide clean energy projects to appropriate places," said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. "The BLM looks forward to working with Tribal Nations and other partners as we conduct this assessment that will help us ensure that clean energy projects are developed responsibly."

The cultural landscape study will incorporate Indigenous Knowledge and a comprehensive inventory of all previously known archaeological, ethnographic, and ethnobotanical information, visual/viewshed studies, and a built environment inventory.

Earlier this year, BLM surpassed the Biden-Harris administration's goal of permitting 25 gigawatts of clean energy projects on public lands by 2025. In August, BLM announced its proposed roadmap for solar energy development, building on the Administration's Investing in America agenda, including its goal to facilitate transitioning the nation to a 100-percent clean electricity grid by 2035.

As of September 2024, the Biden-Harris administration has approved 41 renewable energy projects on public lands (10 solar, 13 geothermal, and 18 gen-ties). In total, the BLM has now permitted clean energy projects on public lands with a total capacity of approximately 29 gigawatts of power - enough to power over 12 million homes.

Visit BLM.gov for more information on how BLM manages cultural resources and renewable energy programs.