The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will be conducting a regional environmental review of potential development activities on the five offshore wind lease areas off California’s central and north coasts. The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) will describe the potential impacts of federal offshore wind energy development activities off California’s coast, as well as the change in those impacts that could result from adopting programmatic mitigation measures. BOEM will conduct subsequent site-specific NEPA analyses and consultations for individual proposed projects as construction and operations plans for those projects are received.
The Treasury Department released proposed guidance last Thursday for how manufacturers can qualify for the Inflation Reduction Act’s advanced manufacturing production credit. The goal of the 45X tax credit is to incentivize domestic clean energy production, including blades for wind turbines, wafers for solar panels, electricity inverters, batteries, and critical minerals, the Treasury Department said in a December 14 release. A public hearing on the proposed regulation is scheduled for Feb. 22, 2024.
Three appeals court judges on Wednesday rejected a petition by two environmental groups and a San Diego nonprofit seeking to upend the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)’s vote last year that overhauled rules for customers with rooftop solar. In a decision written by Associate Justice Victor Rodríguez in San Francisco’s First Appellate District, the court ruled 3-0 that the commission did not commit legal errors in December 2022 when it changed how rooftop solar customers are compensated when their systems generate more energy than they consume. The case centered on the third iteration of the net energy metering tariff, known colloquially as NEM 3.0, that the CPUC adopted on a 5-0 vote last year.
A report released this month by clean energy advocates is renewing pressure on the Newsom administration to ramp up permitting of electrical transmission projects, especially in the Central Valley, to speed California's conversion to renewable power. In their report, the Center for Energy Efficiency, Renewable Technology and GridLab call for changes in permitting they said would help resolve a stubborn backlog of developments proposed for carrying electricity over long distances.
Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC has sealed a $92-million financing agreement to back the construction of several community solar projects and a 30 MW/120 MWh battery energy storage system in California. The proceeds from the construction loan and tax equity bridge loan will be allocated for what will be Greenbacker’s largest standalone energy storage asset to date – the Holtville battery project in Imperial County.
The California Energy Commission has voted to award Form Energy a $30 million grant to support deployment of a 5 MW multi-day energy storage system in the state. Form Energy will build the project at the site of a PG&E electric substation in Mendocino County. Expected to come online by 2025, this will be Form Energy’s first project in California and the first multi-day energy storage project in the state.
The former Ice-Plex building will be replaced with a 50 MW lithium-ion battery storage facility following the Escondido City Council’s recent approval. The City Council unanimously approved a major plot plan permit for the construction of the battery storage project, along with its adopted mitigation plan and a zoning amendment to change the property from “planned development industrial” to “general industrial use.”
Federal regulators have denied a requested preliminary permit for a controversial hydropower facility on coastal land near Fort Ross. In a decision issued last Tuesday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) noted a wide range of public and governmental objections to the proposed project, its potential environmental impacts, and ramifications for protected public lands, including the Fort Ross State Historic Park and the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary offshore. The decision still allows Hydro Green Energy to seek a rehearing before FERC within 30 days.
*This article may require a subscription to read.
[View source.]
See more
DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.
© Allen Matkins | Attorney Advertising
Refine your interests »
