A group of 143 solar companies have called on the US Congress to work with the Department of the Interior (DOI) to resolve the July DOI memo that they say has effectively halted permitting for solar energy projects.
In a letter to Congressional leaders, the companies said that federal agencies are implementing the memo in a way that “amounts to a nearly complete moratorium on permitting for any project in which the Department of Interior may play a role, on both federal and private land, no matter how minor.”
The letter points out that businesses need certainty to continue investing in US energy projects, and that such certainty must include a review process that does not discriminate by energy source.
SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said that without steps to address the unequal treatment of solar energy, the industry will continue to face significant hurdles at a time of “skyrocketing energy demand.”
