# BLM Solar Siting Screener — 2024 Western Solar Plan DLA Check (`malonestar/blm-solar-siting-area-screener`) Actor Screen coordinates on BLM public land against the 2024 Western Solar Plan: Designated Leasing Area vs exclusion vs variance vs available, with exclusion reasons and transmission-proximity signal. - **URL**: https://apify.com/malonestar/blm-solar-siting-area-screener.md - **Developed by:** [Kyle Maloney](https://apify.com/malonestar) (community) - **Categories:** Real estate, Developer tools, Agents - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $4.40 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## BLM Solar Siting Area Screener — Western Solar Plan DLA / Exclusion Check Classifies coordinates on BLM-administered public land under the BLM 2024 Western Solar Plan (Approved Resource Management Plan Amendments and Record of Decision, December 2024; 43 CFR part 2800). For each point it tells you whether utility-scale solar is a priority use, barred, or possible: inside a Designated Leasing Area (DLA / Solar Energy Zone), inside an exclusion area, inside a legacy DRECP variance area or California Development Focus Area, or on analyzed BLM land that is available for a right-of-way application. Built for solar developers and land teams working federal ground in the 11 western states. ### How it works Each site you pass (`lat`/`lon`, WGS84) is run as a server-side point-in-polygon query against four keyless BLM ArcGIS feature layers on the National Renewable Energy Coordination Office org (`services1.arcgis.com/KbxwQRRfWyEYLgp4`). No API key, no login, no scraping. A single point can fall in several fragmented polygons, so the actor reads all intersecting features and aggregates them into one verdict. | Layer queried | What it answers | |---|---| | `BLM_National_Final_Solar_PEIS_Proposed_Plan_Analysis/8` (11-state exclusion analysis) | Is the point excluded, and why (ACEC, ESA critical habitat, wilderness, greater sage-grouse habitat, ROW exclusion / No Surface Occupancy, Visual Resource Management I/II, National Conservation Lands, and more)? Within 15 mi of transmission? Slope ≥ 10%? | | `Energy_Designations/10` (Solar Energy Zone = DLA) | Is the point in a Designated Leasing Area, and is it a developable or non-developable sub-area? | | `Energy_Designations/13` (DRECP Variance Land) | Is the point in legacy 2012 variance-process lands (which the 2024 plan phases out)? | | `Energy_Designations/12` (DRECP Development Focus Area) | Is the point in a California developable focus area? | The plan governs BLM land only, across AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, and WY. A point on private, state, tribal, or other-federal land — or outside those 11 states — returns a clean "not within" row, not an error. The `within_15mi_transmission` and `slope_ge_10pct` flags come from BLM's own analysis fields, not from a live transmission dataset. ### Example input ```json { "assets": [ { "lat": 37.0168, "lon": -105.9491, "label": "Antonito Southeast SEZ (CO)" }, { "lat": 36.56, "lon": -114.92, "label": "Dry Lake area (NV)" }, { "lat": 39.7392, "lon": -104.9903, "label": "Downtown Denver (CO)" } ], "maxAssets": 500 } ```` ### Key output fields (one row per site) - `solar_developability_verdict` — the plain-language conclusion (developable DLA, exclusion, variance, DFA, available, or off-plan land). - `in_designated_leasing_area`, `dla_name`, `dla_state`, `dla_status` — DLA / Solar Energy Zone membership and whether the sub-area is developable. - `in_exclusion_area`, `exclusion_reason_codes`, `exclusion_reasons` — whether solar is barred and the decoded BLM exclusion categories driving it. - `in_variance_area`, `variance_acres`, `in_development_focus_area`, `dfa_acres`, `dfa_technology` — the two California DRECP categories. - `within_15mi_transmission`, `slope_ge_10pct` — BLM availability-analysis flags (null when the point is not in the analyzed exclusion layer). - `on_blm_planning_area_land`, `state`, `administrative_unit` (BLM field office), `area_acres`. - `plan_ref`, `citation`, `disclaimer`, `source_urls`, `layer_errors`, `checked_at`, `error`. ### Who uses it - Utility-scale solar developers and land teams siting projects on federal public land. - Site-selection and GIS analysts pre-screening candidate portfolios before ordering title work or field surveys. - Right-of-way consultants and project-finance diligence teams confirming whether a parcel sits in a priority leasing area or a hard exclusion. - AI agents answering "can solar be built on BLM land at this coordinate?" ### Use as an MCP tool Callable by AI agents through mcp.apify.com as a Pay-Per-Result API. An agent can chain it after a geocoder and feed the verdict into a siting or diligence workflow. ### FAQ **Does it cover the whole west?** The exclusion analysis covers all 11 Western Solar Plan states. The DLA/SEZ layer covers Solar Energy Zones nationally, and the variance/DFA layers cover the California DRECP. **Why is my site excluded?** `exclusion_reasons` lists the specific BLM categories — Area of Critical Environmental Concern, ESA critical habitat, wilderness / WSA, sage-grouse priority habitat, ROW exclusion / No Surface Occupancy, VRM Class I/II, National Conservation Lands, and others. **Is this an official determination?** No. It is an informational point-in-polygon screen against BLM's published spatial data — not a land survey or a legal eligibility determination. Boundaries are approximate and may lag the Record of Decision; confirm with the administering BLM field/state office and a title/survey professional before any siting, leasing, or ROW decision. # Actor input Schema ## `assets` (type: `array`): List of sites to screen. Each item is an object with numeric lat and lon (WGS84 decimal degrees) and an optional label. One input site = one output row (one billable result). Coordinates outside BLM Western Solar Plan lands return a clean 'not within' row, not an error. ## `maxAssets` (type: `integer`): Safety cap on how many sites to screen in one run (1–5000). Extra sites beyond the cap are ignored. ## Actor input object example ```json { "assets": [ { "lat": 37.0168, "lon": -105.9491, "label": "Antonito Southeast SEZ (CO) — inside a Designated Leasing Area" }, { "lat": 36.56, "lon": -114.92, "label": "Dry Lake area (NV) — exclusion area control" }, { "lat": 39.7392, "lon": -104.9903, "label": "Downtown Denver (CO) — off-BLM control" } ], "maxAssets": 500 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "assets": [ { "lat": 37.0168, "lon": -105.9491, "label": "Antonito Southeast SEZ (CO) — inside a Designated Leasing Area" }, { "lat": 36.56, "lon": -114.92, "label": "Dry Lake area (NV) — exclusion area control" }, { "lat": 39.7392, "lon": -104.9903, "label": "Downtown Denver (CO) — off-BLM control" } ], "maxAssets": 500 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("malonestar/blm-solar-siting-area-screener").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "assets": [ { "lat": 37.0168, "lon": -105.9491, "label": "Antonito Southeast SEZ (CO) — inside a Designated Leasing Area", }, { "lat": 36.56, "lon": -114.92, "label": "Dry Lake area (NV) — exclusion area control", }, { "lat": 39.7392, "lon": -104.9903, "label": "Downtown Denver (CO) — off-BLM control", }, ], "maxAssets": 500, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("malonestar/blm-solar-siting-area-screener").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "assets": [ { "lat": 37.0168, "lon": -105.9491, "label": "Antonito Southeast SEZ (CO) — inside a Designated Leasing Area" }, { "lat": 36.56, "lon": -114.92, "label": "Dry Lake area (NV) — exclusion area control" }, { "lat": 39.7392, "lon": -104.9903, "label": "Downtown Denver (CO) — off-BLM control" } ], "maxAssets": 500 }' | apify call malonestar/blm-solar-siting-area-screener --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=malonestar/blm-solar-siting-area-screener", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "BLM Solar Siting Screener — 2024 Western Solar Plan DLA Check", "description": "Screen coordinates on BLM public land against the 2024 Western Solar Plan: Designated Leasing Area vs exclusion vs variance vs available, with exclusion reasons and transmission-proximity signal.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "shLEhAWpUTTPrZ5RQ" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/malonestar~blm-solar-siting-area-screener/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-malonestar-blm-solar-siting-area-screener", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/malonestar~blm-solar-siting-area-screener/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-malonestar-blm-solar-siting-area-screener", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/malonestar~blm-solar-siting-area-screener/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-malonestar-blm-solar-siting-area-screener", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "assets": { "title": "Sites (coordinates)", "type": "array", "description": "List of sites to screen. Each item is an object with numeric lat and lon (WGS84 decimal degrees) and an optional label. One input site = one output row (one billable result). Coordinates outside BLM Western Solar Plan lands return a clean 'not within' row, not an error." }, "maxAssets": { "title": "Max sites", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 5000, "type": "integer", "description": "Safety cap on how many sites to screen in one run (1–5000). Extra sites beyond the cap are ignored.", "default": 500 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```