New DOI Policy Could "Snuff Out Renewable Energy" on Public Lands
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of the Interior put in place new policies that could effectively ban renewable energy development on public lands—delivering yet another political handout to the fossil fuel industry at the expense of clean, affordable energy for American communities.
Under the new directive, all decisions related to wind and solar energy projects must be personally approved by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, imposing unprecedented scrutiny and bureaucratic roadblocks that could indefinitely delay or derail clean energy proposals.
Following is a reaction from Kabir Green, director of federal affairs for Nature at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
“Interior is putting a shadow ban on the new energy projects we need more than ever, delivering a shameless gift to the fossil fuel industry. Hundreds, if not thousands, of individual clean energy project-level decisions will now be left to the whims of a secretary who is already handing out every free pass possible to polluters.
"It is not about oversight but about unfettered obstruction of wind and solar projects that create jobs, cut pollution, lower costs, and strengthen communities. This policy protects select industry profits, not the public interest. And the notion that the secretary should personally sign off on every project is absurd. Can you imagine if Secretary Burgum ran his billion-dollar tech company like this—reviewing every single IT ticket himself? That kind of micromanagement would paralyze any operation, and here it’s being used deliberately to snuff out renewable energy development.”
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).