A letter organized by the Solar Energy Industries Association and signed by 143 solar companies is headed to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in response to a Department of the Interior (DOI) memo that has canceled virtually all permits for solar projects involving the department.
Credit: Primoris Renewable Energy
“Federal agencies are implementing this directive in a manner that amounts to a virtually complete moratorium on permitting for any project in which the Department of the Interior may play a role, on both federal and private land, no matter how small,” 143 solar companies wrote in the letter. “Companies need certainty to continue investing in the United States to build much-needed energy projects. Certainty must include a review process that does not discriminate based on energy source. We urge Congress to put fairness and certainty at the heart of permitting negotiations.”
The memo issued in July covers federal permits for wind and solar energy projects on sites that are on or adjacent to federal lands, or sites that use federal resources. The memo states that “all decisions, actions, consultations and other undertakings” regarding wind and solar energy facilities should be submitted to the Office of the Executive Secretariat and Regulatory Affairs, then reviewed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary, for final review by the Office of the Secretary, followed by a list of 69 different permitting items under the jurisdiction of the DOI.
“For the U.S. solar industry, allowing reforms starts with permitting certainty. As 143 solar companies wrote in their letter to our congressional leaders, if action is not taken to address this unequal treatment of solar energy, the industry will continue to face significant barriers to deployment and investment at a time of skyrocketing energy demand,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of SEIA. “While the solar industry appreciates the continued bipartisan commitment to permitting reforms, the SPEED Act, as passed by the committee, falls short in addressing this core issue: the ongoing permitting moratorium.”
SEIA published an analysis in November, data from the Energy Information Administration shows that a pipeline of more than 500 solar and energy storage projects representing 116 GW of capacity is stalled due to the DOI’s permitting changes.
“To be clear, there is no question that we should allow reforms,” Hopper said. “An agreement must be reached, and SEIA and our 1,200 member companies will continue our months-long efforts to advocate for a deal that ensures equal treatment of all energy sources, because the current status of this blockade is unsustainable.”
