Rep. Mike Levin is marshalling support for his renewable energy bill H.R. 9012, which he reintroduced earlier this month and pitched at a hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
“As we look to secure American energy independence while reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, it’s critical that we do everything we can to build out our renewable energy resources,” said Levin at the hearing on Tuesday.
Levin’s Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act (PLREDA), promotes land use planning for renewable energy with less harm to wildlife and cultural resources.
PLERDA would help promote domestic energy independence by supporting the responsible development of wind, solar, and geothermal energy on public lands.
“Not only can we foster the deployment of clean energy, but we can do so in a way that helps us remain good stewards of our public lands,” said Levin, a Democrat who represents north coastal San Diego and south Orange counties.
PLERDA’s goal of clean energy is especially relevant to areas like San Diego that are experiencing environmental changes resulting from climate change. Furthermore, the bill would provide benefits to families in San Diego, who currently pay some of the highest electricity bills in the country.
According to data from Levin’s office, around 95% of the operating capacity for solar and 99% for wind in San Diego is on private lands, due to the current uncertainty in the permitting process and a lack of revenue being returned to states and counties that host renewable energy projects. PLREDA proposes permitting reforms and a revenue-sharing system with states and counties to support the continued development of renewable energy.
“The San Diego area is on the front line of climate change,” said Raymond Rodriguez, communications director for Levin. “One way that we can lower costs for our community is by building out additional clean energy generation and ensuring that we have adequate transmission capacity to connect those generation sources to our community.”
Levin’s bill works with House Republicans’ parallel legislation, H.R. 8954, which focuses on county and state revenue from renewable energy projects, while providing the Bureau of Land Management with resources to process permit applications and funding for conservation of natural resources.
PLREDA contains updates to H.R. 178, a bill introduced by Levin in January 2023, including updated revenue sharing provisions for conservation work as well as changes to speed up wind and solar permitting while maintaining environmental protections.
“I’m glad the Republican leadership of the House Natural Resources Committee demonstrated a shared interest by bringing up H.R. 8954 for consideration, but there is still more work to be done,” Levin said. “My common-sense legislation accomplishes that, and I hope committee leadership will consider the important policies I’ve put forth as H.R. 8954 moves through the legislative process.”
Levin’s bill has garnered support from a number of organizations including American Clean Power Association, EDF Renewables, Solar Energy Industries Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, National Audubon Society, and more.
“The West needs more renewable energy on federal lands to meet its growing energy demand affordably,” said Virinder Singh, EDF Renewables vice president of regulatory and legislative affair. “We applaud the work of the House Natural Resources Committee and Rep. Levin to share more of the benefits of energy investments with local communities and to make permitting more efficient, all while heeding the imperative to conserve natural and cultural resources.”
