SEC. 2. ONSHORE METEOROLOGICAL SITE TESTING AND 
MONITORING PROJECT. 
(a) DEFINITION OF METEOROLOGICAL SITE TEST-
ING AND MONITORING PROJECT.—In this section, the 
term ‘‘meteorological site testing and monitoring project’’ 
means a project carried out on land administered by the 
Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service to test 
or monitor weather (including wind and solar energy) 
using towers or other devices, that— 
(1) causes— 
(A) less than 1 acre of soil or vegetation 
disruption at the location of each meteorological 
tower or other device; and 
(B) not more than 5 acres of soil or dis-
ruption within the proposed right-of-way for the 
project; 
(2) is installed— 
(A) to the maximum extent practicable, 
using existing access roads; 
(B) in a manner that does not require off- 
road motorized access other than 1 installation 
activity and 1 decommissioning activity along 
an identified off-road route approved by the Di-
rector of the Bureau of Land Management or 
Chief of the Forest Service; 
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(C) without construction of new roads 
other than upgrading of existing minor drain-
age crossings for safety purposes; and 
(D) without the use of digging or drilling 
equipment vehicles other than rubber-tired vehi-
cles with gross weight ratings under 8,500 
pounds; 
(3) is decommissioned not more than 5 years 
after the date of commencement of the project, in-
cluding— 
(A) removal of any towers, devices, or 
other surface infrastructure from the site; and 
(B) restoration of the site to approximately 
the condition that existed at the time the 
project began; and 
(4) provides meteorological information ob-
tained by the permitted project to the Bureau of 
Land Management and the Forest Service. 
(b) NEPA EXCLUSION.—Section 102(2)(C) of the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.) shall not apply with respect to a meteorolog-
ical site testing and monitoring project. 
(c) PERMIT TIMELINE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Bureau 
of Land Management or Chief of the Forest Service, 
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as applicable, shall decide whether to issue a permit 
for a project that is a meteorological site testing and 
monitoring project within 30 days after receiving an 
application for the permit. 
(2) DENIAL OF APPLICATION.—If the applica-
tion is denied, the Director or Chief, respectively, 
shall provide the applicant— 
(A) in writing, clear and comprehensive 
reasons why the application was not approved 
and detailed information concerning any defi-
ciencies, and 
(B) an opportunity to remedy any defi-
ciencies. 
(d) PROTECTION OF INFORMATION.—The informa-
tion provided to the Bureau of Land Management and the 
Forest Service pursuant to subsection (a)(4) shall be 
treated by such agency as proprietary information and 
protected against disclosure. 
Æ 
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