The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is setting aside 4,439.92 acres of public land in Arizona for two solar projects, the Pinyon Solar Project and the Elisabeth Solar Project, for up to two years. This temporary segregation prevents the land from being claimed for activities like mining, allowing time to decide on leasing the land to the solar projects while preserving existing rights. The Pinyon project covers 1,879.92 acres and is being evaluated through an Environmental Assessment (EA), while Elisabeth aims to develop 2,560 acres already under a lease and is nearing the completion of its EA. The segregation will end once a decision is made on the right-of-way application, or through other specified conditions.
Simple Explanation
The government is setting aside a big piece of land in Arizona for two solar projects, so people can't mine there for a while, making it easier to plan and see if these projects can use the land.