Permitting paradox for renewables

Environmental review and siting systems designed for restraint now enable small actors to block or delay wind and transmission needed for decarbonization at scale. — Reframes climate policy from target-setting to state-capacity and governance design, driving national fights over NEPA/state analogs, appeal rights, and balancing local harms vs system-wide emissions gains.

Sources

Europe is Running Out of Energy—and Ideas

Dalibor Rohac 2026.10.03 87% relevant

The article argues Europe’s push for decarbonization combined with political resistance to nuclear and slow permitting curbed investment in supply capacity, producing a paradox where climate goals and permitting friction helped leave Europe exposed to fossil‑fuel shocks; Groningen’s decommissioning and low storage levels illustrate that permitting/policy frictions matter for energy delivery.

How One Oregon Activist Is Using a Decades-Old Liberal Policy to Stall Green Energy Projects in Rural Areas

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting 2025.08.14 100% relevant

A single Oregon activist repeatedly leverages a nuclear-era siting process to stall wind farms and transmission, while legislators fail to modernize the regime despite a 2040 fossil-fuel phaseout goal.