US solar companies urge Congress to address Trump’s solar permit freeze

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Dec 4 (Reuters) – Dozens of U.S. solar companies urged federal lawmakers to revoke a Trump administration policy that has stalled project permits, they said in a letter to leaders in Congress on Thursday.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

The letter highlights mounting concerns from project developers over stepped-up scrutiny of solar permits by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Interior Department at a time of rising energy demand.

KEY QUOTE

“Businesses need certainty in order to continue making investments in the United States to build out much-needed energy projects,” the companies wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The companies stressed that the Interior Department’s actions were “tantamount to a nearly complete moratorium on permitting.”

CONTEXT

A memo in July from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum required his personal sign-off for dozens of kinds of solar permits, affecting not only projects on federal lands but also those on private lands involving federal resources or consultation.

It is among the many measures implemented by the government this year to restrict wind and solar energy, which Trump considers unreliable, expensive, and unfairly subsidized.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Solar Energy Industries Association estimates that more than 500 solar projects are at risk of delays or cancellation. The letter is signed by 143 companies, including solar developers, installers, manufacturers and power providers.

THE REPLY

The Interior Department was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Paul Simao)