“One of our assumptions is that legislators may be introducing more of these restrictive and punitive bills as signals to their constituents or to the broader politics of the time,” Falkenburg said, nodding to the role that clean energy opposition has taken as part of broader “culture war” politics. “But even in conservative states, legislators and governors’ offices are looking at how to get as much energy on the grid as possible.”
The pro-renewables laws that passed
That imperative has driven an impressive showing for what Siting Solutions describes as “permissive” clean-energy siting and permitting policies this legislative season. These provisions include simplifying state permitting processes and setting criteria for how local governments manage project siting.
Siting Solutions chalked up significant wins in Illinois, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington state, as well as moderate policy gains in Maryland and New Jersey — all states controlled by Democrats.
But it also highlighted some positive policies passed in the Republican-controlled states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. For example, Oklahoma approved what Falkenburg described as a “really reasonable” bill that sets best practices for closing down and cleaning up old solar and battery projects without putting unreasonable burdens on developers.
