New York Issues Final Renewable Energy Siting Regulations to Streamline Permitting

Houston Partner and Chair of Locke Lord’s Renewable Energy Section Ben Cowan co-authored an article for Energy Law Report examining New York’s passage of the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act, which established a new Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) within the New York State Department of State. ORES has the intent of streamlining the current siting process for renewable energy projects in the state and issued final regulations that should vastly improve the siting process for large-scale renewables.

Noting the importance of consistent standards and process under the act, the authors write, “The ORES regulations establish consistent requirements for minimization of project impacts to a variety of resources including noise, viewsheds, wetlands and aquatic resources, protected species, cultural resources and more.”

The authors conclude, “The Act provides a clear signal that New York State recognized the problems that have hampered the Article 10 process, and there is reason to expect that the new ORES siting process will be smoother, faster, and more predictable than its predecessor.”

To read the full article, click here.