Sponsors (4)
The bill channels meaningful revenue and administrative support toward accelerating renewable energy on Federal lands and funds for conservation, but it expands federal authority over lands (including National Forests), redistributes revenues in ways that limit local flexibility, and raises environmental and equity concerns about permitting, revenue fairness, and future taxpayer obligations.
State governments and counties: receive direct revenue shares (25% to States, 25% to counties) from wind/solar on Federal land, boosting state and local budgets for priorities.
Federal land managers, utilities, and local communities: 25% set aside for program implementation speeds BLM/agency permitting and staffing, which can accelerate project approvals and local job creation.
Rural communities, recreation users, and conservation groups: establishes and directs a Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund (including 25% allocations) to habitat restoration, waterbody protection, and recreational access, and authorizes cooperative agreements with States, Tribes, and nonprofits.
Rural communities, recreation users, and forest ecosystems: explicitly opening National Forest System lands to wind and solar increases risk of impacts to forests, wildlife habitat, and recreational landscapes.
State and local governments: broader federal definitions and authority may reduce local control over land-use decisions and shift more decision-making to federal agencies, creating jurisdictional conflict.
Local communities and environmental stakeholders: using project revenues to speed permitting and program implementation creates pressure to favor development over thorough environmental review or public input.
Based on analysis of 7 sections of legislative text.
Splits wind/solar revenues from federal land into four equal shares (state, counties, Treasury for implementation, and a new conservation fund) and sets rules for covered land and certain pre-2016 rent/fee obligations.
Directs how wind and solar projects on federal lands are defined, paid for, and how the revenue is split. It includes National Forest System lands within the law’s scope, requires certain older project applicants to pay pre-2016 rent/fee levels unless they agree otherwise, and sets a four-way 25% revenue split—state, counties, Treasury (for implementation), and a new Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund that will pay for habitat restoration, waterbody protection, recreation access, and related work. The Fund will be administered by the Secretary of the Interior with Agriculture consultation and must report annually to Congress; revenue-sharing rules begin January 1, 2026.
Introduced March 10, 2025 by Paul Gosar · Last progress March 10, 2025