The Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General (IG)—an independent auditor—has found that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) routinely failed to comply with regulations when reviewing applications for renewables projects sited on public lands during the Biden-Harris administration.
The audit analyzed 258 right-of-way applications for wind and solar projects on federal lands between fiscal years 2017 and 2023. A right-of-way granted by the BLM authorizes “specific use of parcels of public land for a specified period of time.” Right-of-ways are necessary for any building or activities that would involve appreciable disturbance, alteration, or damage to public lands.
Reuters reports that the audit found that the BLM “did not assess most applicants’ technical and financial ability to develop renewable energy projects, maintained incomplete files and failed to screen applications in a timely manner.” Notably, the independent auditor said that its report had been initiated prior to the Trump administration’s actions to review permitting and leasing practices on federal lands.
According to the audit, the BLM “did not ensure applicants were qualified to hold a [right-of-way].” The audit said that, “84 percent of the applications we reviewed did not contain evidence that BLM assessed applicants’ technical and financial capabilities to execute renewable energy development projects.” Further, “at least half of the applications on file” missed some required documentation. The IG’s office states that this was a result of “insufficient management oversight, outdated and absent policies and procedures, and insufficient training of BLM staff responsible for processing ROW applications.”
The IG’s office made 10 recommendations to update training and support for BLM staff approving right-of-ways, of which the BLM agreed with nine. However, the auditors considered five of those recommendations unresolved because the “BLM’s proposed corrective actions will not satisfy the intent of the recommendations.” For instance, the BLM suggests updating its procedural checklist for right-of-ways, but the IG notes that adding requirements “to a procedural checklist that is not itself required” will not necessarily be beneficial.
When federal agencies cut corners, the costs fall on ordinary Americans—in wasted resources, unreliable energy projects, and weakened confidence in government oversight. Wind and solar projects, just like traditional energy projects, should be held to rigorous standards that ensure that applicants have the expertise to complete the projects they apply for and documents are properly held for transparency.