In a move to provide relief for taxpayers developing renewable energy projects and producing electricity from sources such as wind, biomass, geothermal, landfill gas, trash, and hydropower, the IRS has issued Notice 2020-41 which adds an extra year to the four year “Continuity Safe Harbor” for certain projects that began construction in 2016 or 2017.
86th Texas Legislature to Consider Bills Concerning Cybersecurity and Storage, Among Other Electric Industry Issues
By the time the March 8, 2019 bill filing deadline for the 86th Texas Legislature passed, many bills concerning the electric industry had been filed. Storage, cybersecurity of the electric grid, and capital project tax abatements are among the energy issues Texas lawmakers are considering. This reviews the major filed bills before the current Texas Legislature.
FAA Changes Would Have Disrupted Financing of Wind Development Projects Nationwide
NOTE: An earlier draft of this update indicating that the FAA policy was still under consideration was inadvertently published last week. That draft was out of date and should not be relied on as a statement of FAA policies currently under consideration.
Changes to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) policy concerning the issuance of Determinations of No Hazard to Air Navigation (DNHs) under discussion late last year would have had profound and potentially adverse repercussions on wind development projects nationwide. Fortunately
Proposed Tariffs Could Dramatically Affect Expansion of U.S. Solar Industry
Suniva, Inc., a bankrupt U.S. producer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) cells, filed a petition with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) seeking relief from the effects of importation of foreign manufactured CSPV cells and modules. Suniva requests relief in the form of a minimum price for solar modules imported into the United States and imposition of an additional four-year tariff on all imported CSPV cells and modules that would establish a price-per-watt for inbound foreign competitors double that of current levels.
The requested relief calls for
Around the Horn: Trump’s Support for Coal and the Future of Renewables
In the name of job creation, the Trump Administration is attempting to single-handedly bring back the coal industry via executive action. But while the president may be scoring political points in coal country, as a practical matter that’s really not where energy sector job growth will come from in the next few years.
Nevertheless, the past several months have seen a resurgence of the long dormant coal industry. Hampered by a number of factors
Texas Solar Webinar Series
Husch Blackwell and the Texas Renewable Energies Industries Alliance have teamed up to produce a webinar series titled, On the Horizon, focused on the Texas solar industry. The latest installment focused on solar leases and mineral right issues and is now available on-demand. The panelists discussed recommended provisions for solar leases including steps solar project developers can take to anticipate mineral estate operations and lessen the potential impact of right of access under the Texas’ Accommodation Doctrine.
Register here for the final two webinars of the year:
Proposed Law Would Create Opportunities for Renewable Energy Development on Public Lands
Both the House and the Senate are considering a proposed law, the Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act of 2015, to streamline permitting for renewable energy development projects on public land. Hearings were held by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on S.1407 on June 9, and by the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources on an identical bill, H.R. 2663, on July 13.