Proof in Trial: Appellate Edition: Stand Up for California et al. v. U.S. Department of the Interior et al.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new battery energy storage system (BESS) safety guidelines on August 18. The guidance aims to provide communities and first responders with best practices for safe BESS...more
Under Secretary Doug Burgum, the Department of the Interior (DOI) has quickly moved to implement Sections 4 and 5 of President Trump’s 7 July Executive Order 14315 titled “Ending Market Distorting Subsidies for Unreliable,...more
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) issued two memos in July 2025 in furtherance of President Donald Trump’s policies to eliminate subsidies for wind and solar projects on federal lands. These directives will impact...more
The California Supreme Court unanimously ruled on August 7 that state regulators were given undue deference in deciding to roll back rooftop solar credits for homeowners, reversing an appeals court ruling that upheld the...more
On August 7, the Trump Administration announced it is cancelling the Solar for All federal grant program, which originally committed $7 billion in awarded grants to support solar in low income and disadvantaged households....more
Environmental Vanguard is a quarterly newsletter sharing key insights from McGuireWoods’ leading environmental attorneys and consultants at the forefront of regulatory, litigation and policy developments. This issue covers...more
During the week of July 28, the Trump administration unleashed a new burst of actions aimed squarely at blocking wind and solar energy with the announcement of two new secretarial orders (SO) and three new policies by the...more
On July 15, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) issued a memorandum establishing significantly heightened review procedures for federal decisions, actions, consultations, and other undertakings related to wind and...more
The landscape of renewable energy development on federal lands is undergoing significant changes with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Act (“OBBA”). This legislation marks a notable departure from the prior discretionary...more
On July 15, 2025, the Office of the Secretary of the Department of the Interior (the “Department”) issued a memorandum—“Departmental Review Procedures for Decisions, Actions, Consultations, and Other Undertakings Related to...more
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) issued a memorandum on July 15, 2025, announcing the end of what DOI refers to as "preferential treatment" for "unreliable, subsidy-dependent"1 wind and solar energy projects...more
On July 15, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) circulated an internal memorandum, requiring 68 different DOI actions related to wind and solar project development to be submitted to the DOI Office of the...more
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced on July 17 that decisions related to solar and wind energy projects on federal lands will be reviewed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s office to end what it calls preferential...more
On July 15, 2025, the Department of Interior (DOI) issued a memorandum titled, “Departmental Review Procedures for Decisions, Actions, Consultations, and other Undertakings Related to Wind and Solar Energy Facilities” (the...more
Public Service Co. of New Mexico (PNM) announced on November 11 that it plans to join the California Independent System Operator’s (CAISO) extended day-ahead market, or EDAM, beginning in 2027. The market is slated to launch...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday approved a long-awaited rule to make it easier to transmit renewable energy such as wind and solar power to the electric grid — a key part of President Joe Biden’s goal to...more
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has finalized the Renewable Energy Rule, which will cut fees by up to 80% for wind and solar projects developed on federal land. In addition, the DOI announced...more
The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) is proposing $6.1 billion in transmission projects, primarily to help deliver offshore wind to customers, according to a draft transmission plan released on April 1....more
The U.S. Department of Treasury on March 22 issued guidance that further defined what qualifies as an “energy community” under the Inflation Reduction Act, clarifying where developers can site projects to qualify for the...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
President Joe Biden announced Monday a $1.3 billion federal investment to build three new interstate power lines in an effort to upgrade the nation’s outdated electric grid and transition to clean energy....more
Dominion Energy and Duke Energy Cancel Construction of Atlantic Coast Pipeline - "Despite a recent win for the project in the US Supreme Court, ongoing delays, litigation and an expected increase in costs threatened the...more
Department of Interior Rescinds OSM Enforcement Policies - On October 12, 2017, the Department of the Interior ("DOI") withdrew two prior Office of Surface Mining ("OSM") policies affecting mining operations. DOI rescinded...more
Energy and Climate Debate - In his final major effort prior to retiring last week, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) reached a bipartisan agreement, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, with other House and Senate...more
On September 23, 2014, the U.S Department of Interior and the State of California released a draft Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (“DRECP”), which covers over 22 million acres in Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles,...more