On November 21, 2022, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) issued an Instruction Memorandum on implementation of section 50265 of the IRA. That section stipulates that, in order for BLM to issue rights-of-way for wind and solar energy development federal lands, it must have held onshore oil and gas lease sales totaling at least 2 million acres or 50 percent of the acreage for which expressions of interest were submitted for that period (whichever is less). These requirement lasts for 10 years from the date of enactment of the IRA.
The Instruction Memorandum issued by BLM on November 21 provides guidance to field offices on how to calculate the amount of land for which expressions of interest have been submitted.