NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • December 17, 2021
With climate change accelerating, the federal government is trying to fast track 25 new gigawatts of renewable energy development on US public lands by 2025. That will mean a lot of new environmental impact studies for potential permitting, but also a big change for some local economies that are based on fossil fuel extraction. "That requires really a thoughtful approach that does not leave communities behind, that does not leave states behind, but that also honors and does the right thing for future generations," says Tracy Stone-Manning, new director of the Bureau of Land Management, who survived a bitter nomination battle in the US Senate and was confirmed on a party line vote in September.