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Hotspots

Trouble for Renewables in Rhode Island, Oregon, Iowa, and More

A look at the conflicts around renewable energy projects over the past week

Map.
Heatmap Illustration.

1. Newport County, Rhode Island – I’ve learned that climate activists in Rhode Island are now using local protests to oppose NIMBYs who are challenging renewables projects.

  • On Sept. 19, members of Climate Action Rhode Island – a local offshoot of 350.org – will be on the ground disrupting the entrance to a lavish dinner hosted by the Preservation Society of Newport County, a wealthy architectural conservation group that sued federal regulators over their approval of Eversource’s Revolution offshore wind project.
  • As that lawsuit works its way through the courts, activists are using local opposition to draw public attention to the Preservation Society and portray it as an obstacle to progress on decarbonization with op-eds, meetings, and now more protests.
  • Nick Horton of Climate Action Rhode Island told me that this public awareness campaign may also target the TV network HBO, as its show “The Gilded Age” has been filmed at the Preservation Society’s historic mansions.
  • “I think broadly speaking the environmental movement really needs to start organizing around the threat of NIMBYism, and needs to start identifying these NIMBY organizations as prime bad actors in the pushback against the renewable energy transition,” Horton said.

2. Coos County, Oregon – The Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians have sued the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management requesting it delay an offshore wind lease sale scheduled on Oct. 15.

  • The tribes are opposing offshore wind for many of the same reasons tribes in California and Washington state have fought against development – impacting the viewshed could hinder tribal cultural practices. This litigation also cites potential environmental impacts and requests additional government analysis.
  • This lawsuit arrives as two coastal counties – Coos and Curry – will vote this November on a non-binding ballot measure expressing opposition to offshore wind.

3. Polk County, Iowa – Landowners have sued the Iowa Utilities Commission over permitting the Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 pipeline and providing eminent domain authority, the latest in a string of setbacks that has galvanized local opposition from the midwest to the Dakotas.

  • Fresh off news of the lawsuit, Gevo – a sustainable aviation fuel startup that plans to use the pipeline to transport its products – today announced it acquired a new biofuels plant in North Dakota that it said can “mitigate risk” tied to the South Dakota plant it plans to link to Summit.
  • I spoke with Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber last month about Summit and his answer presaged this move: “When do we need a pipeline? Do I need it tomorrow? Nope. I don’t need it until 2027, 2028, I have a lot of time here. I don’t need it until then. I’ve got options, really. We have a lot of game to play still.”
  • I’ll be watching for future developments in the Summit saga as well as whether CO2 pipeline opposition is fueling local moratoria against solar and wind as well.

4. Houston County, Georgia – One of Georgia’s largest proposed solar projects has been rejected by a potential host county over its potential impacts to bear habitat and property values.

  • The roughly 4,600-acre Silicon Ranch solar project would be built next to a wilderness management area in an area home to black bears.
  • After reviewing county planning meeting minutes and local press reports, it appears these nature concerns galvanized residents, as well as recent legal challenges against other solar projects and home value concerns.
  • I’m watching this project because I’m seeing this fight pop up in opposition Facebook group discussions likely due to wildlife impacts. As Heatmap’s internal polling shows, bipartisan opposition to renewables is strongest when it involves concerns about animals.

Here’s what else I’m watching…

  • In southern Georgia, Brooks County is facing an outcry against a NextEra solar project so loud it’s spurring momentum for a moratorium. Bizarrely, news coverage of the backlash and ensuing public hearing has rippled across airwaves in other parts of the country too, from Michigan to New York.
  • In Kansas, Orsted’s efforts to expand the Sunflower wind farm have triggered a local moratorium – effective now.
  • In Maryland, a 70-mile power line proposed by Public Service Enterprise Group is beginning to face local opposition, including from local leaders in Baltimore County.
  • In New York, a family seeking to let BlueWave Solar build on their farm is facing the wrath of its neighbors.
In Washington state, Scout Clean Energy’s embattled Horse Heaven wind farm project has gotten the blessing of the state’s energy siting authority. The final approval now goes to Gov. Jay Inslee.

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Spotlight

All Eyes Are On Texas as Anti-Renewables Bills Advance

Plus, what a Texas energy veteran thinks is behind the surprising turn against solar and wind.

Texas statehouse.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

I couldn’t have a single conversation with a developer this week without talking about Texas.

In case you’re unaware, the Texas Senate two days ago passed legislation — SB 819 — that would require all solar and wind projects over 10 megawatts to receive a certification from the state Public Utilities Commission — a process fossil fuel generation doesn’t have to go through. The bill, which one renewables group CEO testified would “kill” the industry in Texas, was approved by the legislature’s GOP majority despite a large number of landowners and ranchers testifying against the bill, an ongoing solar and wind boom in the state, and a need to quickly provide energy to Texas’ growing number of data centers and battery manufacturing facilities.

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Hotspots

Battery Fights Burst into Full View

And more of the week’s most important conflicts around renewable energy.

Map of renewable energy fights.
Heatmap Illustration

1. Westchester County, N.Y. – Residents in Yonkers are pressuring city officials to renew a moratorium on battery storage before it expires in July.

  • Battery fire fears predictably are the primary issue, per a local news report this week, which stated at least one project proposed by Saw Mill River Energy Storage is on hold pending the resolution of a study commissioned by local officials.

2. Atlantic County, New Jersey – Sorry Atlantic Shores, but you’re not getting your EPA permit back.

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Q&A

Why Unions Can Be Key to Projects Getting Permits

A conversation with Mike Barnwell of the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights

Mike Barnwell of the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights
Heatmap Illustration

Today’s conversation is with Mike Barnwell at the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights, a union organization more than 14,000 members strong. I reached out to Barnwell because I’d been trying to better understand the role labor unions could play in influencing renewables policy decisions, from the labor permitting office to the fate of the Inflation Reduction Act. So I called him up on my way home from the American Clean Power Association’s permitting conference in Seattle, where I gave a talk, and we chatted about how much I love Coney Island chili in Detroit. Oh, and renewable energy, of course.

The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

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