The Climate Policy, Renewable Energy, & Sustainability Blog
The FCC has added foreign-produced power inverters to its Covered List, immediately restricting new covered models from receiving the equipment authorization generally required for import, marketing, and sale in the United States.
The July 28, 2026, action is narrower and, in some respects, more consequential than early reports suggest. Previously authorized models may remain on…
The Federal Communications Commission is reportedly drafting restrictions on foreign-made inverters used in solar and battery energy storage projects, citing concerns that the equipment could be exploited to disrupt U.S. power supplies. No proposed rule has been released, and the effort could still be modified or withdrawn. Recent FCC actions involving foreign-produced drones and consumer…
On October 13, 2025, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) released its Draft Final Proposal for Interconnection Process Enhancements (IPE) 5.0—continuing its multi-year effort to modernize and streamline the interconnection process for new energy resources. The proposed reforms build on lessons learned from Cluster 15, previous IPE tracks, and stakeholder feedback.
Highlights of CAISO’s…
December 9, 2025 Update: Following the D.C. Circuit’s September ruling, parties opted not to seek panel rehearing or en banc review. The deadline to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for certiorari expired on December 8, 2025, without any petitions for cert filed, thereby ending the potential for appeals of the decision.
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On September 9…
Klickitat County, Washington has proposed a new land use ordinance that, if passed, would impose sweeping restrictions on nearly all solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) development in the county. The ordinance, currently under review by the Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners, would apply to all utility-scale solar and BESS projects, including both…
On August 4, 2025, U.S. Department of Interior Deputy Chief of Staff-Policy Gregory Wischer issued a memorandum directing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take multiple actions related to the Service’s eagle permitting program under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA). The memo, which was posted to X by Interior Secretary Doug…
This post was co-authored by Stoel Rives summer associate Jayden M. Dirk.
Last month, the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC) proposed changes to its rules on site certificate amendments in OAR 345 Division 27. These rules govern the process by which the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) and EFSC review requests for energy facility site…
On April 17, 2025, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (“NMFS”) (collectively the “Services”) published a notice in the Federal Register of a proposed rulemaking that would rescind the regulatory definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). The ESA prohibits “take” of threatened and endangered species.
On December 12, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the “Service”) published notice in the Federal Register of a proposed rule to list the monarch butterfly as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). The proposed rule designates proposed critical habitat for the monarch in California and includes an ESA section 4(d)…
On September 6, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) issued an order finding that the presence of a non-independent director, i.e., one who is affiliated with an investor, on the board of directors of a public utility or its upstream holding company creates an affiliation between the sponsor and the investor…
