United States Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has signed a Secretary’s Order aimed at revising how energy projects on federal lands are assessed and permitted. The order introduces the concept of “capacity density” as a criterion for evaluating proposed projects, with the goal of optimising energy generation while limiting environmental impacts and might be an additional obstacle for the development of wind and solar energy projects on federal lands.
The Department of the Interior will now consider the amount of energy produced per unit of land area as part of its project evaluation process. This shift in approach aligns with existing legislation and previous executive orders on energy policy. According to the Department, the intention is to permit only those energy projects that represent the most appropriate and efficient use of federal land and resources.
The Secretary’s Order states that large-scale projects with lower energy density—such as wind and solar—may be less suitable for federal land use when compared to alternatives such as nuclear or gas, which have higher capacity density and smaller spatial footprints.
