The Biden administration said it would significantly reduce the cost of land to build wind and solar projects in the country to help spur renewable energy development and combat climate change.
The new policy comes after years of lobbying by clean-energy developers, who argued that lease rates and fees for facilities on federal land were too high to attract investment. Rents and fees for solar and wind projects will drop by about 50 percent, the Interior Department said in a statement.
The United States will slash land costs for wind and solar projects by about 50 percent
The administration also said it would increase the number of people handling environmental reviews and permit applications for renewable energy by setting up five coordinating offices in Washington, Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah.
The offices are expected to improve coordination with other federal agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Defense.