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Energy & Climate Counsel

Your one-stop resource for timely analysis of legal and policy developments affecting the energy and climate sectors. We focus on the issues that matter most to you, from federal and state policy and judicial decisions to business trends and financing news.

SJC's Sunpin Decision: A Win for Solar Development, But Not the Last Word
Blog July 17, 2026
On July 14, 2026, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) issued its decision in Sunpin Energy Services, LLC v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Petersham, holding in favor of solar development and reaffirming that local zoning boards have only narrow authority to deny solar special permits…
New York Senate Passes ASAP Act to Increase Solar Funding and Reduce Deployment Costs
Blog April 29, 2026
On April 21, 2026, the New York State Senate passed the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act (2025-S6570A)…
Massachusetts AGO Rejects Yet Another Municipal Solar and Battery Storage Moratorium
Blog March 13, 2026
On March 11, 2026, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (“AGO”) disapproved a proposed temporary zoning moratorium on large-scale solar installations and battery energy storage systems (“BESS”) in the Town of Blandford…
Massachusetts Finalizes Clean Energy Siting and Permitting Rules
Blog March 11, 2026
After more than a year of hard work by regulators and stakeholders, Massachusetts has finalized the bulk of the regulations needed to implement the siting and permitting reforms enacted in the 2024 Climate Act…
Maine PUC Delays Enforcement of Net Energy Billing Statute While U.S. District Court Weighs Preliminary Injunction
Blog December 04, 2025
Projects are still responsible for complying with changes to the NEB program that go into effect on January 1, 2026, though companies can be certain that the MPUC will not seek enforcement actions related to those changes until the court rules on the plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction, potentially as late as March 2, 2026…
Wading Into New York’s 2025 NYS Wetlands Permitting Changes
Blog October 30, 2025
Over the last year, the New York State (“NYS”) wetlands permitting and statutory regime has been flooded with activity as the impacts of the 2022 statutory amendments ripple outward…
After the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Could C-PACE for C&I Solar have its Moment in the Sun?
Blog August 11, 2025
The recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has introduced significant hurdles to obtaining the tax equity financing upon which solar developers have traditionally relied…
NYPA’s New 7 GW Renewable Development Goal: What to Expect When Contracting With NYPA
Blog August 05, 2025
On July 29, 2025, the New York Power Authority (“NYPA”) released for public comment a draft of the NYPA Renewables Updated Strategic Plan (the “Updated Plan”)…
SMART 3.0 Program Key Changes and Features: Mitigation Fees
Blog July 25, 2025
This post focuses on a key change in the newest iteration of SMART: the introduction of mitigation fees for solar projects that are located on land that has not been previously developed…
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ABOUT

Foley Hoag’s Energy & Climate Counsel blog aims to be your one-stop resource for timely analysis of legal and policy developments affecting the energy and climate sectors. We focus on the issues that matter most to our readers, from federal and state policy and judicial decisions to business trends and financing news.

Our authors, comprised of attorneys from the firm’s Energy & Climate practice, have been active in the energy and climate space for decades, counseling clients across the spectrum – from new, innovative technology companies to large utility-scale power projects. Recognizing early on the common concerns of the renewable and traditional energy fields, we established one of the first integrated practices to serve all segments of the energy and clean technology sectors. We believe this tight integration provides us with the insight to analyze the pressing issues, trends and opportunities that those in this industry have come to expect.