** Getting 40% of U.S. energy from solar will require lots of land
Thursday, September 9, 2021
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A solar array built on public land in California, BLM California, Flickr ([link removed])

A groundbreaking report released by the Department of Energy yesterday found that the U.S. could get 40% of its energy from solar by 2035 ([link removed]) .

That's great news for the climate and for the Biden administration, which has set a goal of achieving net zero emissions in the electricity sector by 2035.

But it will require a 10-fold increase over current solar production ([link removed]) , and that will require land—lots of land. Research firm Rystad Energy found the U.S. will need to dedicate 13,412 square miles of land ([link removed]) —or around 8.6 million acres—to solar development, in order to decarbonize its power sector.

That land may not be available if oil and gas companies snatch it up first. The fossil fuel industry is already sitting on over 20 million acres ([link removed]) of public land in the West, and the Biden administration is currently planning to lease thousands of acres ([link removed]) in the Western U.S. for drilling early next year.

If the Biden administration is serious about decarbonization, it should stop leasing public lands to fossil fuel companies, or at the very least, give solar and wind companies the right to lease public lands first. The Biden administration could also focus on building solar on out-of-service oil and gas sites ([link removed]) , in order to avoid further impacts to public lands.


** New report finds majority of fossil fuels must stay in the ground
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A new report in the journal ([link removed])
Nature ([link removed]) finds that 60% of the world's oil and gas reserves and 90% of the world's coal must stay in the ground ([link removed]-) if we want to have even a 50% shot at keeping global warming to 1.5° C. That is equal to a 3% annual reduction in fossil fuel use for the next 30 years—starting now.

Global temperatures have already increased by over 1° C since the 1800s ([link removed]) , largely due to the burning of fossil fuels. And, right now, countries around the world are on track to produce more than double the amount of fossil fuels by 2030 ([link removed]) than would be consistent with a 1.5° C temperature increase.

The 1.5° C limit is important because the effects of warming are exponential ([link removed]) . Considering we're already seeing those devastating effects, from flooding to wildfire to drought, we need to do everything possible to keep warming within 1.5° C.

Quick hits


** As Colorado's coal plants shut down, can they be retooled to store renewable energy?
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Denver Post ([link removed]) [shutting down] | Colorado Public Radio ([link removed]) [renewable energy]


** League of Conservation Voters draws hard line over climate infrastructure
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The Hill ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Feds will help cover feed costs ranchers incurred due to drought
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The Fence Post ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Federal report finds U.S. could get 40% of power from solar by 2035
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CNN ([link removed]) | Reuters ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed])


** New study finds vast majority of fossil fuels must stay in ground to limit global warming to 1.5° Celsius
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NPR ([link removed]-) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Oil and gas companies push back on new emissions rules in New Mexico
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** California's wildfire season is still "far from over"
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Trout streams in the West are drying up
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | National Geographic ([link removed])
Quote of the day
Things have changed too much and too rapidly... We are in the midst of figuring out how this climate is going to impact our snow, our runoff and temperatures. I don’t think we can really answer those questions yet.”
—David Zafft, fish management coordinator for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Associated Press ([link removed])
Picture this


** @B ([link removed]) LMA ([link removed]) rizona (http://)
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This year's monsoon rains brought out the mushrooms on our public lands. These gilled mushrooms get their name from the prominent gills on their undersides. Currently, there are over 13,000 described species of this type of fungi. #MushroomMonth ([link removed])

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