KPC News | Natalie DeWitt August 19
To the Editor:
Auburn is embracing an all-of-the-above approach to energy that includes developing and utilizing our abundant clean energy resources, particularly solar power. Investing in new, long-lasting renewable energy resources helps protect our environment by reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions associated with other forms of energy production, while encouraging economic development and maintaining the character of our city.
Over the past few years, the city has made significant progress to increase our solar capabilities. This includes the addition of a 55-acre solar farm — the Auburn Renewables Solar Array — along Interstate 69, which I was proud to help support as a member of the Auburn City Council. The Classic City Solar array planned for Dekalb County, which is currently in the permitting stage and expected to break ground in 2026, will help further our city’s reputation for investing in a cleaner, more reliable, and more sustainable energy and economic future.
These kinds of solar projects are not only helping to increase access to clean, renewable energy for Auburn homes and businesses, they are also helping to create reliable, well-paying jobs; bring in millions of dollars in tax revenue for the city; and support economic growth and business development in our communities. As cities like Auburn continue to develop their clean energy resources through next-generation energy infrastructure investments, our elected officials in Washington can help by prioritizing federal permitting reform.
Without some serious, common-sense reforms, our nation’s federal permitting process will continue to stand in the way of progress on the clean energy front. Critical solar and other clean energy projects can often be delayed by many years due to an overly complicated, inefficient permitting process that all too often results in the duplication of efforts, particularly when a project involves multiple jurisdictions.
Passing bipartisan permitting reform would not mean lessening the strong environmental standards to which the United States — and Indiana — holds new energy and infrastructure projects. It would simply help bring about greater transparency and accountability while reducing this duplication of efforts and bureaucratic inertia.
While Congress has made some recent progress reforming our outdated permitting process, there is still much more red tape to cut through in order to simplify and streamline the process so critical energy and infrastructure projects can move forward in a timely, efficient manner. Fortunately, both passage of the debt ceiling deal, which included limited reform of the environmental review process, as well as the bipartisan infrastructure law, proved that there is an appetite for federal permitting reform on both sides of the aisle.
Our federal legislators in Washington, including Senator Todd Young, should seize the opportunity to pass comprehensive, bipartisan permitting reform as soon as Congress reconvenes in the fall. Doing so will enable Auburn to continue growing our clean energy resources — as well as our entire economy.
Natalie DeWitt
President council member for the City of Auburn and President of the Indiana Conservative Alliance for Energy
This post is the work of the author(s) indicated.
Read the original article here.