'Solar energy zones' created on federal land in Southwest

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49393980/ns/us_news-environment/#.UHs_gaBsiSo

Federal officials on Friday approved a plan that sets aside 285,000 acres of public land for the development of large-scale solar power plants, cementing a new government approach to renewable energy development in the West after years of delays and false starts. 

The plan replaces the department's previous first-come, first-served system of approving solar projects, which let developers choose where they wanted to build utility-scale solar sites and allowed for land speculation.