Today, April 30, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) revised its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing procedures to revise categorical exclusions for upgrading and rebuilding powerlines and for solar photovoltaic systems. Under the new rulemaking, environmental reviews will not automatically be required for projects related to solar installations. The rulemaking also adds a
For traditional manufacturers, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) offers a mixed bag of carrots and sticks to support its green energy goals.
Signed by President Biden on Aug. 16, 2022, the bill includes numerous tax credits and other incentives promoting clean energy investment. One of the IRA’s stated purposes is to incentivize and
On September 2, 2022, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection of the Department of Homeland Security (“CBP”) issued a CBP ruling, HQ H32233, determining that most offshore Wind Energy installation projects, including the laying of transmission cables, generally requires the use of Jones Act (Coastwise) compliant vessels. Jones Act qualified and compliant vessels are those
In August of 2020, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued an executive order establishing emission reduction goals of reaching net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, putting the state in line with pledges made under the Paris Agreement, and by the federal government, 25 other states, and hundreds of companies in the private sector.
In support of the Biden administration’s goal of permitting 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) announced that it has been begun preparing its draft environmental assessment to evaluate the potential impacts of offshore wind development in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
The area to be
The Louisiana Legislature adopted the Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide Act in 2009. Recent policy changes at the federal level have drawn increasing attention to the Act’s provisions regarding the permits needed to operate a carbon dioxide storage facility in Louisiana.
The Act grants jurisdiction over the permitting process to the Commissioner of Conservation.[1]
On October 28, 2021, the Department of Interior announced three major milestones to advance commercial offshore wind energy development, one of those impacting the Gulf of Mexico.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) will publish a Call for Information and Nominations (“Call”) on November 1, 2021 in the Federal Register. The Call will allow
With increasing optimism regarding offshore wind energy and commercial solar power, renewable energy projects are starting to gain steam with Louisianians. Although utility-scale solar projects are novel in Louisiana, Act 301 (formerly Senate Bill 185) proactively addresses the concerns of taxpayers, landowners, and developers concerning solar leases.
Act 301, which was signed into law by
The United States has become one of the largest and rapidly-expanding wind markets in the world, with the U.S. Energy Department investing in both land and offshore research and development projects in an effort “to advance technology innovations, create job opportunities and boost economic growth.”[i] In the future, the Energy Department predicts that the