Salazar said Interior is setting aside 24 parcels of federal land for a special study of environmental effects. Those areas, a total of 670,000 acres, were chosen based on the routes of transmission lines and early indications that they are less environmentally sensitive than other areas in the state. Once an area wins preapproval, applications for solar plants could race through the process, officials say.

The U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia issued a ruling Friday upholding Clark County's challenge of an FAA finding that 83 electricity-generating turbines atop Table Mountain wouldn't obstruct air space or disrupt radar systems. Clark County alleged the FAA failed to follow proper administrative procedures, didn't conduct open hearings, and disregarded a county consultant's study that the 400-foot tall turbines might threaten aviation safety.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has informed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that the military will not object to wind farms in an area of eastern Nevada, moving a $1 billion project closer to reality. Tim Carlson, a renewable energy developer, plans to build a 450-megawatt wind farm in the Wilson Creek Range area 40 miles north of Pioche. ...Hill Air Force Base in Utah has been concerned about wind-power projects in the area because wind turbines can interfere with radar. But Reid received assurances from Gates that the department will not object to wind farms in the Wilson Creek area, spokesman Jon Summers said Tuesday.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that the military won't object to wind farms in an area of eastern Nevada, moving a $1 billion project closer to reality. Tim Carlson of Nevada Wind, a renewable energy developer, plans to build a 450-megawatt wind farm in the Wilson Creek Range area 40 miles north of Pioche. He said the Defense Department's agreement is "another step forward" to developing what would be Nevada's first utility-size wind farm. Hill Air Force Base in Utah has been concerned about wind-power projects in the area because wind turbines can interfere with radar.