Overview

• An Interior Department order effective July 17 mandates Secretary Doug Burgum’s personal approval for all wind and solar permits on federal lands and waters under an “elevated review” process.
• Clean-energy advocates say the added layer of bureaucracy risks slowing projects that need to start before federal tax credits phase out under the July 4 subsidy repeal law.
• GOP senators Lisa Murkowski and John Curtis argue the directive undermines their compromise to stagger credit expirations and could hamper efforts to meet soaring power demand.
• The Interior Department has not formally verified the leaked memo by deputy chief of staff Gregory Wischer and condemned its disclosure as a breach of professional standards.
• Acting Assistant Secretary Adam Suess asserts the oversight will “level the playing field” for reliable baseload sources such as coal and natural gas.