E&E News Quotes Former Interior Department Official Travis Annatoyn on Renewable Energy Order
Travis Annatoyn, Arnold & Porter Environmental Counsel and former Deputy Solicitor for Energy and Mineral Resources at the U.S. Department of the Interior, was quoted in the E&E News article, “Another Burgum order coldcocks solar and wind.” The article examines a new Interior Department directive that may hinder the development of renewable energy on federal lands.
SO 3438, issued by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, requires agencies to evaluate solar and wind proposals based on “capacity density,” potentially disadvantaging large-scale renewable projects in favor of fossil fuel alternatives. However, Annatoyn noted that coal, natural gas, and nuclear plants are rarely built on federal lands.
“There really isn’t much conflict that would require forcing this either/or approach to energy development,” he said, pointing out that federal lands already designate specific areas for certain types of projects.
“It’s not as though if you scrap a solar project, you can go ahead and plop down a natural gas or coal-fired power plant,” Annatoyn added. “The legal regimes aren’t set up to do that.”
