Interior Dept Memo Requires Burgum Sign-Off on All Wind and Solar Permits

The Interior Department issued a memorandum requiring three layers of senior political approval — including personal sign-off by Secretary Doug Burgum — for nearly every step in the wind and solar permitting process on federal lands. The policy applied to projects on public lands and in federal waters, effectively halting the entire permitting pipeline. No justification was provided for the three-tiered review structure.