| Work Detail |
Several federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Interior Department, which oversees the Bureau of Land Management, have halted approval of wind and solar projects on federal lands and in federally regulated areas. Multiple federal agencies are no longer moving forward with certain development tasks associated with terrestrial solar energy projects that require access to federal lands or approvals. As part of Trump’s first-day activities, the administration instituted a broad pause on Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding . This measure affected programs seeking federal loans or cash grants, including the Solar for All program. However, several legal opinions suggest that these executive orders will not affect IRA tax credits. On January 20, the Secretary of the Interior issued Order No. 3415: Temporary Suspension of Delegated Authority. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which reports to the Secretary, had been actively developing solar energy projects as part of the Biden administration’s goal of deploying 25 GW of renewable energy. This order temporarily halts that work, including the permitting and approval processes. As of December 2024, the BLM was reviewing 44 solar energy projects totaling 25 GW of capacity on 218,189 acres of federal lands. Among the seven measures outlined in the order was a halt to all work related to renewable energy: Issue any onshore or offshore renewable energy authorization, including but not limited to a lease, lease amendment, right-of-way, right-of-way amendment, contract, or any other agreement necessary to permit the development of renewable energy. On Wednesday, Bloomberg Law reported that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, following the Trump administration’s pause, has temporarily stopped evaluating permits for renewable energy projects. Corps spokesman Doug German said, “Of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ approximately 11,000 pending permit actions, the agency has temporarily paused evaluation of 168 (those focused on regulated activities associated with renewable energy projects).” A memo from the American Clean Power Association (ACP), reported by Heatmap, indicates that projects on non-federal lands are also being affected. The Army Corps of Engineers and the Fish and Wildlife Service, responsible for regulating wetlands and wildlife, refuse to provide documentation or comments, even for projects on private lands. Without this documentation, local jurisdictions cannot issue the necessary approvals to begin construction. As a result, local jurisdictions that rely on this documentation for permit approval are unable to move forward, delaying the start of construction. |
