Idaho approves first solar permit on state endowment land [Video]

IDAHO, USA — This story originally appeared in The Idaho Press.

The Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve its first ever lease for a solar farm on state land.

The board voted 3-1, with Attorney General Raúl Labrador voting against and Gov. Brad Little absent, to approve a lease with PacifiCorp for a wind and solar farm outside Idaho Falls in Bingham County.

The land board comprises Little, Labrador, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane, state Controller Brandon Woolf, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield.

Revenue from the project could increase the state’s entire leasing portfolio by 25%, staff said Tuesday. Idaho’s endowment land is managed to generate revenue for endowment beneficiaries, which includes public schools.

“The headline with this lease is the revenue that we expect to generate once it is in the …