§3008 Renewable Energy Revenue Sharing

Summary

Starting January 1, 2026, money collected from wind and solar projects on public land — like bids, rents, fees, or other payments under leases, permits, or rights-of-way — must go into the U.S. Treasury general fund and then be paid out automatically without extra approval. Of the money, 25 percent goes to the State where the revenue came from, and 25 percent goes to the counties in that State, split among those counties based on how much of the project land is in each county. States and counties must use their shares under the rules in section 191 of title 30. County payments are in addition to payments in lieu of taxes under chapter 69 of title 31. Money collected in one fiscal year is made available the next fiscal year. Key terms (one line each): county — includes parish, township, borough, or similar local unit; covered land — public land managed by the Secretary that is not excluded from solar or wind use; National Forest System — lands run by the Secretary of Agriculture (excluding forest reserves not from the public domain); public land — public lands under section 1702 plus National Forest System land; renewable energy project — a wind or solar system on covered land as defined in 43 C.F.R. 2801.9(a)(4) as of July 4, 2025; Secretary — the Secretary of the Interior for Interior lands and the Secretary of Agriculture for National Forest System land.