The Bureau of Land Management has published details of a plan to make millions of acres of public lands across the western U.S. available for development of solar power. The Western Solar Plan, which revises guidelines from more than a decade ago, was published in the Federal Register on August 30, 2024. The BLM said the plan would make 31 million acres of public lands (that is 48,437 square miles!) available for potential solar energy development. The new proposal seeks to bring solar projects to 11 states. The plan would place development closer to existing or planned power transmission lines,...