Interior Department approves first solar projects on public land

The Interior Department on Tuesday approved two California solar energy projects, which would be the first constructed on public lands. The move is "aimed at shifting the type of energy development on federal property in the years to come," Juliet Eilperin and Steven Mufson of The Washington Post report. The department approved two projects in the Californian desert -- the Imperial Valley and Chevron Lucerne Valley solar projects -- which could supply energy four hundreds of thousands of homes. Neither project will go online for at least a year.

"We have opened up a new chapter on renewable energy on our public lands in America," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told reporters in a conference call, adding that when it came to producing energy on federal lands, "the president asked me to change the game." The projects still face hurdles, including a multibillion-dollar transmission line that would cross sensitive habitats needed for the Imperial Valley project. Jim Lyons, senior director for renewable energy at advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife, called the Imperial Valley project "far from ideal" but added that, "viewed as a pilot project, we can live with it." (Read more)