Biden Western Solar Plan will sacrifice 22 million public land acres to fight climate change

“The American public could embrace this latest evolution of our shared domain. Or we could reject further industrial development of our public lands and instead preserve them for the sake of wildlife habitat, healthy ecosystems and scenic hikes — while requiring renewable energy companies to find other places to build. So which should we choose: clean energy or conservation?

Right now, President Biden is trying to thread the needle. The Biden administration released its long-awaited Western Solar Plan last month, laying out a vision for where sprawling solar farms should be allowed — and where they should be blocked — across 11 Western states, including California. The plan covers 162 million acres overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and tentatively concludes that companies should be able to propose solar projects across 22 million acres — an area roughly the size of Maine… ” — L.A. Times climate correspondent Sammy Roth

In Episode 414 of District of Conservation, Gabriella discusses the updated DOI/BLM Western Solar Plan and its six proposals – including one to raze down 22 million public land acres across 11 states – to catalyze utility-scale solar projects. The affected states would be: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Tune in to learn about this problematic plan.

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EP 552: The Potomac is No. 1 Endangered River in America – District of Conservation

In Episode 552 of District of Conservation, Gabriella discusses the new American Rivers report on the 10 most endangered rivers list and the Potomac River earning the top spot. Why? The organization claims both the Potomac Interceptor spill and data center buildout are factors justifying the top post. Gabriella also discusses how data centers use water and why these projects aren't as scary as believed. Plus, a preview of this weekend's IOTR Summit in Florida. Tune in to learn more!SHOW NOTESAmerican Rivers: America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2026 is a Call to Action for Healthy Rivers and a Cleaner Water Supply Maryland rejects ‘most endangered’ label for Potomac River, as D.C. remains unaware about ranking