How Will BLM’s Final Rule On Renewables Impact Wind Energy?

In support of the president’s Climate Action Plan, Secretary of the Interior (DOI) Sally Jewell has announced that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) finalized its rule governing solar and wind energy development on public lands.

According to the BLM, the rule strengthens existing policies and creates a new leasing program that will support renewable energy development through competitive leasing processes and incentives to encourage development in suitable areas.

New York City Council unanimously approves Zone Green

On April 30, 2012, the New York City Council unanimously approved Zone Green, New York City’s proposed zoning amendments that remove various hurdles for developers and building owners to incorporate green elements such as solar energy systems, thicker walls for insulation and rooftop gardens into their properties.  A previous blog  post detailing these amendments is available here.

On March 28, the City Planning Commission approved the amendments with various modifications and clarifications, including the following:

Poland to reverse course over new renewables law

Coal-reliant Poland will reverse course and push through a law providing guaranteed purchase prices for power generated from wind turbines, an economy ministry official said on Wednesday.

The European Union member in December presented an overhaul of its renewable support plan that sought to retract guaranteed purchase prices for renewables, a move that raised investor concern in the rapidly growing wind sector.

Industry members said the lack of a purchase guarantee and a cut in the size of state support for wind by a quarter would shrivel up financing over worries costly projects would not provide a return in the European Union nation.

Vermont: Committee starts over on renewable power bill

Legislation that would require utilities to purchase green energy will go back to the drawing board, according the chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Energy.

The bill, H.468, would have required utilities to purchase 80 percent of their power from qualifying renewable sources in 2025.

The bill set out ambitious goals for utilities, but after weeks of testimony, the second draft eased these qualifications by requiring 75 percent renewables by 2032. Thirty-five percent of those would have to come from “new” generation that came online after Dec. 31, 2004.

Pakistan: National energy policy

Reportedly, recommendations have been made to PM to increase gas prices by 34 percent from January 2012, impose levy for next 15-20 years to build Rs100bn gas pipeline, keep existing fuel surcharges, transfer increase of gas prices on commercial sector to consumers, and use tax money to pay for subsidy to make imported gas affordable (Increase in gas tariff for all sectors proposed, local news, Dec. 29, 2011). The increase in gas prices and giving subsidy to energy mafia shows that PPP government has failed to devise a comprehensive energy policy. Due to government’s pro-energy mafia policies, the sector is profiteering at the cost of public and national interests. Pakistan therefore needs to adopt alternate energy to provide relief to public, sustain economy, generate jobs, reduce energy prices, end fuel subsidies, cut dependence on energy imports, decrease inflation, and control trade imbalances.

23 Governors, 369 orgs throw support behind four-year PTC extension bill

Most recently, a broad, nonpartisan coalition of 369 members, including manufacturing, farm and business interests, issued a letter endorsing a four-year extension to the Production Tax Credit (PTC), wind energy's key federal tax incentive. Legislation recently introduced by Representatives Dave Reichert (R, WA-08) and Earl Blumenauer (D, OR-03) seeks to grant a four-year extension to the existing PTC for wind energy (H.R. 3307, the "American Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit Extension Act").

U.S. brings diplomacy to politics of energy

The State Department is creating a bureau to focus exclusively on energy, a sign of the growing importance of energy issues to U.S. foreign policy and national security.

The new Bureau of Energy Resources, which opens shop Wednesday, is designed to help shore up stable supplies of affordable energy for the U.S. and avoid crippling effects of supply shocks and disruptions.

UK: New planning policy afoot at district council

A NEW planning policy to determine how East Lindsey District Council’s planning officers approach wind turbine developments is being developed.

The council is updating the local plan and a renewable energy policy will form part of a final document that will be subject to public consultation and scrutiny by the Government’s planning inspectorate.

CA: Two bills help farmers address renewable energy goals

By Lois Wolk

I want to applaud Ag Alert® for its excellent two-part series on the effects of solar power on agriculture (Sept. 7 and Sept. 14), drawing attention to the fact that California farmers and ranchers lead the nation in use of solar power.