A new policy requiring the Interior secretary to approve all aspects of solar and wind project permitting has opened the floodgates for critics who say it’s the clearest signal yet that green energy is not part of President Donald Trump’s energy dominance agenda.
It has also prompted pushback from supporters who say the new policy is a long-overdue move to level the regulatory playing field following four years of the Biden administration prioritizing renewable energy development on federal lands.
Prominent Democrats, conservation groups and renewable energy trade groups all bashed the new policy, outlined in an Interior Department memorandum that directs the Interior secretary to review everything from the initial decision to begin a formal evaluation of a solar or wind project application, to the issuance of a record of decision approving it.
The Trump administration, in formally announcing the new policy Thursday, said it complies with a handful of presidential orders signed by Trump that are designed to reduce barriers to energy production. It also will help ensure projects conform with the administration’s energy policies and goals.
