143 Photo voltaic Firms Urge Congress to Work with DOI to Unleash American Photo voltaic Vitality; Guarantee Certainty, Equal Therapy of All Vitality Sources in Allowing Reform

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Right this moment, 143 photo voltaic vitality firms despatched a letter urging the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Home of Representatives to work with the Division of the Inside (DOI) to deal with the July DOI memo that has favored most well-liked vitality sources and amounted to a close to full moratorium on allowing for photo voltaic initiatives. The letter additionally urges Congress to maintain equity and certainty on the heart of allowing negotiations.

“Federal businesses are implementing this directive in a approach that quantities to a virtually full moratorium on allowing for any challenge during which the Division of Inside could play a task, on each federal and personal land, regardless of how minor,” wrote 143 photo voltaic firms within the letter. “Companies want certainty with the intention to proceed making investments in the USA to construct out much-needed vitality initiatives. Certainty should embrace a evaluation course of that doesn’t discriminate by vitality supply. We urge Congress to maintain equity and certainty on the heart of allowing negotiations.”

The letter outlines the quite a few allowing processes which were impacted because the DOI memo was issued on July 15, together with permits that happen beneath any DOI company for initiatives on federal lands and personal lands; permits from non-DOI federal businesses the place the DOI has a consultative function; and initiatives on non-public lands that make the most of DOI assets.

“For America’s photo voltaic business, allowing reform begins with allow certainty. As 143 photo voltaic firms wrote of their letter to our Congressional leaders, with out motion to deal with this unequal therapy of photo voltaic vitality, the business will proceed to face important obstacles to deployment and funding at a time of skyrocketing vitality demand,” mentioned SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “Whereas the photo voltaic business values the continued bipartisan engagement on allowing reform, the SPEED Act, as handed out of committee, falls wanting addressing this core drawback: the continuing allowing moratorium.”

“To be clear, there isn’t any query we’d like allowing reform,” Hopper continued. “There’s an settlement to be reached, and SEIA and our 1,200 member firms will proceed our months-long effort to advocate for a deal that ensures equal therapy of all vitality sources, as a result of the present standing of this blockade is unsustainable.”

Final month, SEIA launched an evaluation of EIA knowledge exhibiting that greater than 500 initiatives within the pipeline throughout the nation are at risk of delays or cancellation on account of political assaults.

Learn the complete letter right here and under.

Expensive Majority Chief Thune, Speaker Johnson, Minority Chief Schumer, and Minority Chief Jefferies,

As photo voltaic firms engaged in serving to Individuals throughout the nation preserve the lights on and costs low, we’re writing right now to precise concern in regards to the July 15 memo from the Secretary of Inside which creates burdensome pink tape, successfully halting allowing for photo voltaic vitality initiatives. This coverage will considerably delay or cancel deployment of much-needed photo voltaic vitality.

On its face, the July fifteenth memo requires elevated evaluation for photo voltaic vitality permits. Nonetheless, federal businesses are implementing this directive in a approach that quantities to a virtually full moratorium on allowing for any challenge during which the Division of Inside could play a task, on each federal and personal land, regardless of how minor. This contains:

• Permits and consultations that happen beneath any DOI company for initiatives on federal lands or another challenge with a transparent federal nexus.
• Permits and consultations for initiatives totally on non-public lands that contain easements, rights-of-way or gen-ties crossing public land.
• Permits and consultations for initiatives on non-public lands that happen beneath DOI businesses together with these requiring compliance with Endangered Species Act, Migratory Chook Act and Bald and Golden Eagle Safety Act.
• Permits from non-DOI federal businesses (e.g. Military Corps of Engineers) for personal land initiatives the place the DOI has a consultative function similar to wetland impacts, water crossings, or tree removing.
• Tasks on non-public land make the most of DOI assets, similar to IPaC, to find out species impacts.

We urge Congress to work with the Division of the Inside to deal with the unduly discriminatory and unprecedented authorities overreach, by revoking the July fifteenth memo.

Within the various, we imagine there are affordable steps the Division of Inside can take within the short-term to forestall pointless delays in vitality improvement that’s at the moment poised to assist meet the rising vitality calls for of AI and different industries.

Companies want certainty with the intention to proceed making investments in the USA to construct out much-needed vitality initiatives. Certainty should embrace a evaluation course of that doesn’t discriminate by vitality supply. We urge Congress to maintain equity and certainty on the heart of allowing negotiations.

Thanks to your consideration.

Sincerely,

About SEIA®: The Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation® (SEIA) is main the transformation to a clear vitality financial system. SEIA works with its 1,200 member firms and different strategic companions to struggle for insurance policies that create jobs in each neighborhood and form honest market guidelines that promote competitors and the expansion of dependable, low-cost solar energy. Based in 1974, SEIA is the nationwide commerce affiliation for the photo voltaic and photo voltaic + storage industries, constructing a complete imaginative and prescient for the Photo voltaic+ Decade by way of analysis, schooling and advocacy. Go to SEIA on-line at www.seia.org and observe @SEIA on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Information launch from SEIA.