Renewable Energy

21 posts

Report Finds 228 Local Restrictions Against Siting Wind, Solar, and Other Renewables, as Well as 293 Contested Projects

Renewable energy projects have encountered significant opposition in at least 45 states.  In addition, at least 228 local laws, ordinances and policies have been enacted in 35 states to restrict renewable energy projects, according to a report, Opposition to Renewable Energy Facilities in the United States, issued on May 31 […]

Solar panels reduce CO2 emissions more per acre than trees – and much more than corn ethanol

On September 21, 2022, the New York Times published an essay by Gabriel Popkin titled “Are There Better Places to Put Large Solar Farms Than These Forests?” Popkin describes a recently approved 4,500-acre solar project in Virginia that will remove approximately 3,500 acres of forest and asks whether such projects […]

Siting Renewables in New York: Updates from ORES Executive Director Houtan Moaveni and Suggestions from Panelists on How to Further Improve the New Siting Process

On September 22, 2022, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and the Columbia Climate School co-hosted a Climate Week NYC webinar on “Siting Renewables in New York: Ambitious Climate Goals, a New Siting Process, and How It Is Going.” This blog post will summarize the highlights of the event, […]

Renewable Energy Projects Face Opposition in 49 States, Local Restrictions in 31 States

By Leah Adelman and Jacob Elkin Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law has published an update to its Report on Opposition to Renewable Energy Facilities in the United States, which documents local restrictions on and opposition to the siting of renewable energy projects. The updated report highlights […]

Local Government Associations File Brief to the Supreme Court in Support of EPA’s Clean Air Act Authority

By Jacob Elkin Today, the Sabin Center filed an amicus brief on behalf of the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in West Virginia v. EPA, a case that is currently before the United States Supreme Court. The case concerns the scope of the United States […]

Renewables are key to a just energy future for Puerto Rico

By Ruth Santiago and Michael B. Gerrard* This opinion piece was first published in The Hill. It is available here.  The Biden administration faces a choice that could advance two of its core objectives — fostering environmental justice and fighting climate change. Puerto Rico’s already troubled energy system was devastated by Hurricane […]