Today the Minnesota Senate passed its omnibus energy bill by a vote of 37-26. This follows the Minnesota House of Representatives’ passage of its version of the bill on Tuesday. The bills now move to a conference committee for consolidation. After the conference committee completes its work, the consolidated bill will then return to each
Update: Minnesota House Passes Aggressive Solar Standard
On May 7th, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed its omnibus energy bill by a vote of 70-63. The bill includes a provision that requires investor-owned utilities to obtain 4 percent of their power from solar by 2025, with a goal of reaching 10 percent by 2030. In contrast to the aggressive House bill, the
Minnesota Set to Boost In-State Solar Industry
The Minnesota State Legislature is considering a bold move to assist Minnesota’s fledgling solar industry. A new provision in the House transportation omnibus bill requires that any solar array installed on a building, highway, road, bridge, or land owned or controlled by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, must consist entirely of panels manufactured in Minnesota.
Minnesota RES Expansion Moves Forward
The Minnesota State Legislature’s attempt to expand the amount of electricity that utility companies secure from renewable energy sources cleared a major hurdle recently, as H.F. 956 was included in the House omnibus energy bill. H.F. 956 proposes to increase Minnesota’s renewable energy standard (“RES”) to 40% by 2030. The current standard requires that Minnesota’s
Utah PSC Approves 60 MW of New Distributed Solar PV in Utah
My colleagues Laura Suesser and Julia Pettit reported on a significant victory for solar development prospects in Utah.
On October 1, 2012, the Public Service Commission of Utah approved Rocky Mountain Power’s Solar Incentive Program, which will support 60 MW of new distributed solar PV resources in Utah over the next five years (2013-2017).
The
STOEL RIVES PUBLISHES UPDATED EDITION OF SOLAR ENERGY LAW GUIDE
The Stoel Rives Energy Development group is proud to announce the publication of the third edition of Lex Helius: The Law of Solar Energy.
In the wake of recent state and federal policies and incentives, investment in solar energy has become increasingly competitive. Accordingly, our energy team desires to provide our readers with the most
Upcoming Energy Conference Highlights
Through industry presentations and publications, our energy attorneys are dedicated to helping you stay informed and knowledgeable about legal developments that affect your business.
Visit our website for the latest calendar of events. Upcoming highlights include:
Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES): Lessons Learned from Natural Gas Tolling
July 21 – WEBINAR
Stoel
BLM Notices Interim and Proposed Rules Protecting Renewable Energy Development From Mining Claims
Stoel Rives attorney Heath Curtiss, one of the
co-authors of "Federal Land Issues with Siting
and Permitting" in our Law of Wind, describes
a Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") plan to
protect certain land suitable for renewables
development from the location of mining claims :
As many of our clients with right-of-way (“ROW”) applications pending before BLM
Bar on Military Purchases of Chinese Solar Panels
In a blow to China’s position as the world’s dominant producer of solar panels, the new military authorization law prevents the Defense Department from buying Chinese-made solar panels, but allows it to buy solar panels from any country that has signed the W.T.O.’s side agreement on government procurement.
The W.T.O. Government Procurement Agreement, which requires free trade in government purchases
New Defender of the PACE Program
There is new hope for the PACE financing program (the acronym stands for: “property-assessed clean energy”). The PACE program was started in Berkeley, CA in 2007 and made loans available to homeowners to help defer the cost of renewable energy/energy efficiency equipment and installations. The loan funds come from municipalities who raise the money through bonds