Secretary Rollins said that the United States will no longer allow foreign-made solar panels or inefficient energy projects to undermine national security.
In a memorandum issued on Aug. 21, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a new policy prioritizing land use efficiency when evaluating proposals for power generation projects on National Forest System lands.
The memorandum represents the USDA’s “commitment to strengthening American energy production and reducing reliance on foreign energy sources, like foreign adversary-manufactured solar panels, while protecting our lands for future generations,” according to a press release from the agency.
As part of the memorandum, the U.S. Forest Service will develop new screening guidelines that measure and prioritize the amount of energy produced per acre of land “while ensuring projects are consistent with environmental stewardship, multiple-use principles, and economic benefits for rural communities,” the press release said.
“America has the resources and ingenuity to power our future without depending on foreign adversaries,” Rollins said in the press release.
“We will no longer allow foreign-made solar panels or inefficient energy projects to undermine our national security. We are prioritizing reliable power sources, reducing costs, and preserving more land for recreation, timber, and wildlife for future generations.”
The USDA manages around 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands in 43 states.
“Policies that discouraged the use of these lands for power generation in the past increased reliance on intermittent energy sources and limited U.S. energy independence,” the press release stated.
Focusing on land use efficiency will ensure that proposed energy projects maximize output per acre, reduce environmental impacts, and allow more National Forest System lands to remain available for multiple uses, according to the USDA.
Wind, solar, natural gas, and other energy types require varying amounts of land and have different environmental impacts, the press release noted. This is why efficiency-based screening is important for “balancing economic development with environmental stewardship.”
The memorandum followed an Aug. 18 X post from Rollins announcing that the USDA has halted programs that fund solar or wind power projects on productive farmland.
“Millions of acres of prime farmland is left unusable so Green New Deal subsidized solar panels can be built. This destruction of our farms and prime soil is taking away the futures of the next generation of farmers and the future of our country,” Rollins said.
