I 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 964 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 10, 2009 Mr. Rohrabacher (for himself, Mr. Jones, Mr. Franks of Arizona, Ms. Foxx, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Latta, Mr. Gary G. Miller of California, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Goodlatte, Mrs. Myrick, and Mr. Bilbray) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to exempt any solar energy project on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management from an environmental impact statement requirement.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Emergency Solar Power Permit Act.

2.

Exemption of solar energy projects from environmental impact statement requirement

(a)

In general

Title I of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

106.No action relating to the development, deployment, or operation of a solar energy project on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management shall be considered a major Federal action for the purposes of section 102(2)(C).

. (b)

Effect for statements underway

Each department and agency of the Federal Government shall cease the preparation of a statement, commenced pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), for any action described in the amendment made by subsection (a), to the extent that the preparation of such statement would delay or otherwise interfere with such action.