The Biden administration said Tuesday that it had given the go-ahead to two major solar projects on federal land in the California desert, pushing forward with clean energy plans by using federal authority after Joe Manchin III, the West Virginia senator and coal industry supporter, said he would not.
The Interior Department said that the two approved solar projects and a third that is nearing completion would generate about 1,000 megawatts, enough electricity to power 132,000 homes. There are three projects in California.
The project approvals represent one of a limited number of policy tools available to the Biden administration as it works to wean the United States from fossil fuels and achieve a goal of slashing the country's greenhouse gas emissions roughly in half by 2030.
The Democrats will move forward with a vote on President Biden's policy agenda, which includes $555 billion in clean energy tax credits. The measure is not expected to pass given Mr. Manchin's opposition.
Mr. Biden is left with executive actions to advance his agenda. The authority faces challenges. In February, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case about the authority of the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
John Podesta, a former top aide to President Barack Obama, said at a recent panel discussion that all bets are off with the Supreme Court. It is definitely a challenge.
The Victory Pass and Arica solar farms were approved on Tuesday. The Interior Department says that the projects will generate up to 465 megawatts of electricity with up to 400 megawatts of battery storage. The agency said the projects would cost about $689 million to build.
The Bureau of Land Management is expected to approve a separate 500-megawatt photovoltaic plan known as the Oberon solar project. The agency said it will generate 500 megawatts of renewable energy and power 142,000 homes.
Tracy Stone-Manning, the director of the Bureau of Land Management, said in a statement that the efficient deployment of renewable energy projects will create good-paying jobs and are crucial in achieving the Biden-Harris administration's goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035.
The agency said it was soliciting interest for solar energy development on nearly 90,000 acres of public land in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. Mr. Biden wants to eliminate emissions from fossil fuels in the electricity sector.
