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The administration is reviewing at least 20 commercial-scale solar energy projects (POLITICO Pro’s GREENWIRE, subscription).

What’s going on: The projects, which have not been reviewed since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in January 2025, include “a package of six utility-scale projects given the green light [last] Friday by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to resume active reviews, such as the massive Esmeralda Energy Center in Nevada,” three anonymous agency officials told the outlet.

• The Interior Department said this week it is “actively reviewing permitting” for large wind and solar projects, and that it’s created a process to strengthen accountability and prevent misuse of taxpayer money in energy development.
• These “renewable-specific policies require the secretary or deputy secretary  to approve virtually every permitting action for solar and wind projects before they can advance.”
• They are in addition to a July 2025 policy order by Burgum that directs the agency to consider “capacity density” when considering solar and/or wind projects.

The details: The approximately 20 solar proposals now under review by the Bureau of Land Management “are commercial-scale projects, collectively capable of powering potentially millions of homes. All of them would incorporate energy storage technology allowing them to feed power to the grid at night.”

• All were under review at the end of the previous administration, with some near the “permitting finish line.” 
• They include the Redonda Solar and Bajada Solar projects in California, the Jove Solar Project in Arizona and three solar projects in Nevada—Boulder Solar III, Dry Lake East and Libra Solar.

The Esmeralda 7 test: The Esmeralda 7 solar project—seven solar initiatives spread out over 185 square miles in Nevada—received a draft environmental impact statement from BLM in 2024.

• Now, one of its developers, NextEra Energy Resources, “will be the first to advance a project through the [new] federal permitting process.”
• The other six projects that make up the Esmeralda 7 are expected to get approval to move forward in coming weeks, the three officials said.

Our view: The NAM, which has continued to advocate for an all-of-the-above U.S. energy strategy that provides certainty to all permitted projects, said the restarted permitting process is a step in the right direction.

• “Permitting reform is absolutely critical for U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, and the NAM hopes that this announcement will bring all congressional and administrative parties back to the negotiating table to modernize our permitting laws,” said NAM Vice President of Domestic Policy Chris Phalen. “Permitting reform will allow manufacturers to get shovels in the ground more quickly to benefit communities, and responsible development of all our available energy sources is key to U.S. energy and manufacturing dominance.”