Context is Crucial in Examining BLM’s Proposed Rule for Fracking On Federal Land
California will solicit up to 2 GW of long-duration energy storage resources as part of a 10.6 GW centralized procurement for emerging clean energy technologies to be deployed between 2031 and 2037, the California Public...more
According to the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proceeding with nine solar projects on public lands to potentially power nearly 2 million homes with clean energy. Among the projects, the...more
The subsidence risk in geothermal projects needs to be effectively managed by careful review of site conditions and legal and permitting precedents. Production of geothermal fluids can lead to subsidence of the land...more
In May 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM or the Agency) issued a final rule updating its renewable energy and right-of-way (ROW) policies. BLM is one of the largest landholders in the United States, with significant...more
A U.S. district judge has dismissed claims by Native American tribes and environmentalists who sought to halt construction along part of a $10 billion energy transmission line that will carry wind-generated electricity from...more
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has finalized two rules to further prioritize the health of public lands and facilitate renewable energy leases: the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule and the Rights-of-Way, Leasing,...more
This article is part of Womble Bond Dickinson’s Energy & Natural Resources thought leadership series titled Striking the Balance: Permitting Reforms for Mining and the Energy Transition. In this series, we’ll explore the...more
The California Energy Commission (CEC) last Friday released a draft strategic plan for offshore wind development, which estimates a potential generation capacity of up to 59.6 GW off the state’s coast and lays out strategies...more
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced an update to its 2012 plan for solar power development in the western U.S., adding five states to the original six. The original plan identified prime areas for solar development...more
Work on a $10 billion project that will funnel renewable energy across the West has come to a halt in southwestern Arizona, with Native American tribes saying the federal government has ignored concerns about effects that the...more
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced the advancement of 15 new renewable energy projects in the western U.S., including a 500 MW photovoltaic facility in Riverside County, which was fully operational Friday, as well as...more
The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) is the strongest market in the U.S. when it comes to using energy storage for renewable integration, grid optimization, and electrification and decentralization, with a 43.7...more
On July 27, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit’s decision to grant the Wilderness Society’s motions to stay of construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline (“MVP”) pending...more
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a Proposed Rule on June 16, 2023, that would, if adopted, amend its existing right-of-way regulations to promote solar and wind energy development on public lands administered by...more
On April 11, 2023, the Bureau of Land Management announced that it has given final approval to the TransWest Express transmission line, a 732-mile project that will move electricity from a large wind farm in Wyoming to an...more
California will invest $9.3 billion in 46 transmission projects to accommodate the state’s renewable energy shift, enabling more than 17 GW of solar generation to be added to the grid....more
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved three energy project contracts proposed by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), as well as four contracts proposed by Southern California Edison (SCE), that will...more
The White House Council on Environmental Quality’s interim greenhouse gas emissions guidance will ease the permitting process for clean energy projects, according to renewable energy trade groups....more
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced on December 5, 2022, that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will develop an updated Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to help guide solar energy...more
BLM approves construction of large California solar projects Bullet E&E News – June 13 The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has authorized construction work to begin on two solar projects in Southern California, which would be...more
On May 31, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is revising its policies on rents and fees charged for renewable energy projects located on federal public lands and is...more
In order to keep pace with the federal government’s ambitious goal of permitting the production of at least twenty-five (25) gigawatts of renewable energy through projects placed on public land by 2025, the Department of the...more
Interior Department announces first offshore California wind lease sale Bullet The Hill – May 26 The Biden administration on Thursday announced the first proposed wind power lease sales offshore in California and off the West...more
Renewable electricity powered California just shy of 100% for the first time in history Bullet USA Today – May 3 Renewable electricity met nearly 100% of California's demand for the first time on Saturday, officials said,...more
California grid reaches record 97.6% renewable share - Renew Economy – April 19 - California has set a new record of 97.6% instantaneous renewables on its grid, marking a major new milestone on the way to a carbon free grid...more