Climate Law Blog

By Matthew Eisenson 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 could be […]

By Matthew Eisenson 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, focusing on […]

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 121 local policies restricting new […]

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 Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority […]

By Hillary Aidun On Wednesday, August 4, the New York Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board) approved a 100-megawatt solar facility in New York State. The Flint Mine Solar Project will displace up to 4.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime and infuse $15 million […]

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 Maria in 2017 and a […]

By Hillary Aidun On January 20 of this year we launched the Climate Reregulation Tracker to follow the Biden-Harris administration’s progress in undoing its predecessor’s assault on climate change policy by reinstating, expanding and building upon previous climate actions. Three months into the new administration, what has been accomplished so far? Key priorities are addressed […]

By Hillary Aidun On Thursday, March 18, the New York Public Service Commission (“PSC”) green-lighted a critical component of New York State’s first offshore wind farm. The South Fork Wind Farm will be located 35 miles off the coast of Long Island, and will provide enough electricity to power 70,000 homes. On Thursday the PSC […]

At least 100 ordinances have been adopted in 31 states blocking or restricting new wind, solar, and other renewable energy facilities, and at least 152 of these projects have been contested in 48 states. Today Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law issued a report documenting these instances of local opposition to renewables.

By Hillary Aidun On Wednesday, December 2, the Sabin Center filed comments with New York’s Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) to support scaling up renewable energy capacity throughout the state. ORES was created pursuant to the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act, which was enacted in April to streamline the process for […]