The California Public Utilities Commission ("CPUC") issued a proposed decision on December 23, 2009 that would, if adopted, allow California investor-owned utilities, energy service providers, and community choice aggregators to purchase renewable energy credits alone, without the associated energy (sometimes referred to as "unbundled renewable energy credits ("RECs)" or "tradable RECs"), to satisfy their obligations…

January 8, 2010: today President Obama announced the award of $2.3 billion in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (“ARRA”) Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits for tens of thousands of clean energy jobs on 183 clean energy manufacturing projects across the 43 states. United States, including the domestic manufacture of wind turbine and solar panels. The

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Stoel Rives partner Michael O’Connell reports:

On January 4, 2010, the Keeper of the National Register determined that Nantucket Sound is a traditional cultural property (TCP) of two Indian tribes that is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, even though the area is submerged. The Keeper made that determination in response to a request from the Mineral Management Service (MMS), which is considering a request for a lease of outercontinental shelf land for 130 wind turbines for the Cape Wind Project. MMS and the Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) disagreed on whether Nantucket Sound was eligible for listing.Continue Reading Interior Secretary Salazar Invites Parties Interested in Cape Wind Project to Resolve Impact of Determination that Nantucket Sound Is Eligible for Listing as an Historic Property

The Colorado Division of Property Taxation will hold an important open public meeting Thursday, January 14, 2010, to discuss the "tax treatment of transmission lines".  Details of the proposed options will be posted on the Division’s website under the "state assessed tab."  In the notice provided by the Division, the agenda for the meeting…

Today Energy Secretary  Chu announced that the Department of Energy will award $47 million for 14 nation-wide projects  that will support the development of new technologies improving energy efficiency in the information technology (IT) and communications sectors – specifically, data processing, data storage, and telecommunications industries. The increase in energy consumption in these sectors is a direct corollary…

The ZINO Society, a Seattle-based angel investment group, announced last week that its annual “ZINO Green Investment Forum” would be held on March 4, 2010, at the McKinstry Innovation Center in Seattle.   Up to fifteen early-stage companies in “green tech, clean tech, and sustainable products or services” will be selected by the ZINO Green screening board to…

United State District Court Judge Roger W. Titus recently issued an injunction halting the construction of the Beech Ridge wind project in Greenbrier County, West Virginia to protect the Indiana Bat, a species listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). The ruling is the first of its kind in the law developing around …

The goal of the award-winning Evergreen production team is to document, promote and present the clean technology story to audiences of decision makers, regulators, citizens and students in Washington State, the Pacific Northwest and international markets.

In December 2009, the Evergreen team traveled to Copenhagen to document the efforts of the Washington delegation at the…

An update on intellectual property issues from my colleague, John Rafter:

On December 7, 2009 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") announced the launch of a pilot program to accelerate the examination of certain green technology patent applications.

Under the Green Technology Pilot Program, patent applications pertaining to environmental quality, energy conservation, development…

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department ("WGFD") has extended the public comment period on a draft document:  "Wind Energy Issues:  Impacts and Mitigation for Wildlife in Wyoming" from December 18, 2009 to February 1, 2010.  The document provides recommendations for assessing impacts to wildlife from wind energy projects, for collecting data, and for mitigating effects on…