The Fight

Sign In or Create an Account.

By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy

Hotspots

Fox News Goes After a Solar Farm

And more of this week’s top renewable energy fights across the country.

Map of U.S. renewable energy.
Heatmap Illustration

1. Otsego County, Michigan – The Mitten State is proving just how hard it can be to build a solar project in wooded areas. Especially once Fox News gets involved.

  • Last week, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said it wanted to lease more than 400 acres of undeveloped state-owned forestland for part of a much larger RWE Clean Energy solar project near the northern Michigan town of Gaylord.
  • Officials said they were approached by the company about the land. But the news sparked an immediate outcry, as state elected Republicans – and some Democrats – demanded to know why a forest would be cleared for ‘green’ energy. Some called for government firings.
  • Then came the national news coverage. On Friday, Fox News hosted a full four-minute segment focused on this one solar farm featuring iconoclastic activist Michael Shellenberger.
  • A few days later, RWE told the media it would not develop the project on state lands.
  • “[D]uring the development process, we conducted outreach to all landowners adjacent to the project location, including the Michigan Department of Natural Resources,” the company said in a statement to the Petoskey News-Review, adding it instead decided to move forward with leasing property from two private landowners.

2. Atlantic County, New Jersey – Opponents of offshore wind in Atlantic City are trying to undo an ordinance allowing construction of transmission cables that would connect the Atlantic Shores offshore wind project to the grid.

  • The ordinance was passed by the city council days before Christmas by a 5-4 vote, paving the way for easements crucial to the cables. Apparently the room was so packed with critics that the fire marshall had to step in.
  • Now the backlash is coming to roost. Per local talk radio reports, activists this week submitted a petition to the city council opposing the ordinance with more than 3,000 signatures, a number apparently boosted by an endorsement from at least one large casino.
  • Atlantic South was fully permitted by the Biden administration in a push to get as many offshore wind projects out the door as possible before Trump 2.0. But as we’ve previously explained, killing a cabling route can be a fatal blow to an offshore wind project – and it’s a major threat to growth in New Jersey. So we’ll be watching this closely.

3. Benton County, Washington – Sorry Scout Clean Energy, but the Yakima Nation is coming for Horse Heaven.

  • The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation reportedly have appealed in state court the October approvals for the Horse Heaven wind farm, which appeared clear for take-off after a protracted fight over the project’s size.
  • We previously told you this would be the worst case scenario for the Horse Heaven wind farm in Washington because the tribe has treaty rights that can be used in court.

Here’s what else we’re watching right now…

In Connecticut, officials have withdrawn from Vineyard Wind 2 — leading to the project being indefinitely shelved.

In Indiana, Invenergy just got a rejection from Marshall County for special use of agricultural lands.

In Kansas, residents in Dickinson County are filing legal action against county commissioners who approved Enel’s Hope Ridge wind project.

In Kentucky, a solar project was actually approved for once – this time for the East Kentucky Power Cooperative.

In North Carolina, Davidson County is getting a solar moratorium.

In Pennsylvania, the town of Unity rejected a solar project. Elsewhere in the state, the developer of the Newton 1 solar project is appealing their denial.

In South Carolina, a state appeals court has upheld the rejection of a 2,300 acre solar project proposed by Coastal Pine Solar.

In Washington State, Yakima County looks like it’ll keep its solar moratorium in place.

This article is exclusively
for Heatmap Plus subscribers.

Go deeper inside the politics, projects, and personalities
shaping the energy transition.
To continue reading
Create a free account or sign in to unlock more free articles.
or
Please enter an email address
By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy
Spotlight

Trump Just Permitted a Solar Farm

Are more on the way?

Donald Trump.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

The Trump administration appears to be advancing solar projects through the permitting process now.

After a temporary halt to permitting for solar projects, the Bureau of Land Management told me a few weeks ago that it had lifted the pause, but I had told you I would wait for confirmation to see whether projects could actually move through government permitting. On Friday, the Bureau of Land Management publicly confirmed that federal solar permitting can happen again, formally approving the Leeward Renewable’s Elisabeth solar project in Yuma County, Arizona – what appears to be the first utility-scale solar facility on federal acreage approved by the Trump administration.

Keep reading...Show less
Yellow
Hotspots

Solar Notches Some Local Wins While Battery Storage Hears Boos

And more of the week’s top news in renewable energy conflicts.

The United States.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

1. Hampden County, Massachusetts – Disgruntled residents in the small city of Westfield have won their fight against a Jupiter Power battery storage project.

2. Staten Island, New York – Speaking of people booing battery storage, the battle over BESS on Staten Island is potentially turning into major litigation.

Keep reading...Show less
Yellow
Q&A

A Powerful New Transmission Coalition Arises in the Northeast

A conversation with Jason Marshall of Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

The May 1 Q and A subject.
Heatmap Illustration

This week’s conversation is about transmission. It may have been lost in the shuffle but earlier this week, the state of Massachusetts led a coalition of Northeast states in releasing a joint strategic action plan on transmission planning. We haven’t covered transmission fights too much yet in The Fight (that’ll change soon, stay tuned). So I wanted to learn more about how and why this plan came together, especially given how crucial wires will be to connecting renewables to the grid there. So I got on the horn with Jason Marshall, deputy secretary and special counsel for federal and regional energy affairs in Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. We wound up chatting about how significant this plan is – and a little bit about folk music too.

The following transcript is a slightly abridged version for clarity.

Keep reading...Show less
Yellow