FRESNO, Calif. — The Obama administration moved Tuesday to streamline the development of large-scale solar projects on public lands by approving 17 vast tracts across the West it says has the highest power-generating potential and the fewest environmental impacts.

As developers scramble to secure utility-scale solar sites, the plan will move the Department of the Interior away from having to consider individual projects on a case-by-case basis and instead direct development to land already identified as having fewer wildlife and natural resource obstacles.

“Today’s announcement is a roadmap for solar development for decades to come and will help create an enduring and sustainable energy future for America,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

The announcement means the Department of Interior will begin a 30-day protest period, after which Salazar could adopt the plan.

The release of the environmental impact statement was the result of a two-year study involving government regulators, environmental groups and utilities. It identifies land where the Department of Interior has streamlined the environmental approval process and offered reduced lease payments as development incentives.

“This is a huge step forward for the Bureau of Land Management, which has tended to address energy development on a project-by-project basis in response to the wants of individual companies rather than the values of the American public or the needs of fish and wildlife,” said Kate Zimmerman, the National Wildlife Federation’s policy director for public lands.

The zones cover a total of 285,000 acres, with five sites in Nevada, four in Colorado, three in Utah, two each in California and Arizona, and one in New Mexico. Originally 677,000 acres of the 253 million acres managed by the BLM had been considered. Proximity to transmission lines was a factor in the decision.

“This is a really big milestone in terms of environmentally sensitive and responsible solar development,” said Helen O’Shea of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Having a roadmap for development and conservation and striking the right balance between the two is going to be critical for protecting our western landscapes as we build our clean energy economy.”