FILE - A solar farm sits in Mona, Utah, on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. The House voted Friday, April 28, 2023, to reinstate tariffs on solar panel imports from several Southeast Asian countries after President Joe Biden paused them in a bid to boost the U.S. solar industry, a key part of his climate agenda.(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
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The Big Story
Interior cuts costs for wind, solar on public lands
The Biden administration has finalized a rule that’s expected to make it cheaper to develop wind and solar energy on public lands.
The rule was expected to cut fees that are based on how much energy is produced by 80 percent through the year 2035.
A partial reduction is already in place based on 2022 guidance, but the administration said that the new rule contains further cuts and codifies them.
The rule also seeks to expand energy production in designated “priority areas” by simplifying the process for issuing new rights to build wind and solar projects.
The administration announced additional milestones alongside the rule, saying that the Interior Department has now given the OK to enough renewable projects on public lands to power 12 million homes.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland told reporters on a press call that the Biden administration has approved more than double the number of renewable energy projects than the Trump administration did during its four years.
“The previous administration did everything they could to hobble our department’s clean energy program, but we’re making up for lost time,” she said.
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
The Biden administration is putting $830 million toward helping protect bridges, roads, ports and other infrastructure from extreme weather disasters fueled by climate change.
American greenhouse gas emissions rose 1 percent between 2021 and 2022 but fell nearly 17 percent from 2005 levels, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) annual emissions inventory report.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Thursday he was requesting a federal fishery disaster declaration, after regional supervisors recommended a full closure of ocean salmon season for the second year in a row.
Former President Trump is facing a do-or-die moment in his effort to delay the start of his first criminal trial, with his choice of punting tactics dwindling in the days leading up to his day in court in New York. Read more
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that Democrats will not help GOP leaders with a procedural vote to advance legislation extending the government’s surveillance powers. Read more
