2025 Legislative Session Dates
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Key Takeaways:

  • The Trump administration has launched a comprehensive rollback of renewable energy initiatives, halting all wind project approvals on public lands and targeting wind and solar tax credits through the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" budget reconciliation process.
  • Critics argue that wind and solar increase grid blackout risks due to intermittent power generation, while the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans favor expanding baseload sources like natural gas, coal, and nuclear power over renewables that currently comprise only 14% of US electricity generation.
  • State-level action on renewable energy is intensifying, with lawmakers introducing over 130 bills across 27 states this year to regulate wind and solar siting and permitting, demonstrating that states retain significant authority over where renewable projects can be built.
  • While federal policy influences investment decisions through tax incentives, the real regulatory power over renewable energy development lies with state governments, making local politics crucial for the future of wind and solar installations.


Since Republicans took control over both chambers of Congress and the White House, there has been a massive pushback on renewable energy initiatives started under the Biden Administration. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued a Memorandum that ordered federal agencies to pause all approvals, permits, and leases for onshore and offshore wind projects, essentially halting all wind energy development on public lands. And this month, the Senate begins work on the budget reconciliation bill — called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — which seeks to cut many of the wind and solar tax credits put into law under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Critics of renewables claim that relying more on wind and solar for power increases the likelihood of grid blackouts since they are not always generating power at all times. While their share has steadily grown over the years, wind and solar only make up roughly 14% of the US electricity generation sources. Furthermore, many in the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress would rather see the U.S. produce more baseload sources such as natural gas, coal, and nuclear. 


However, federal lawmakers are not the only ones weighing in on renewable energy this year. State lawmakers have introduced over 130 bills across 27 states this year alone on measures that seek to regulate the siting and permitting of wind and solar installations. While federal policy can influence energy investment decisions through changes in the tax code, states have broader authority in regulating where companies build wind turbines and solar farms.


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This article appeared in our Morning MultiState newsletter on June 9, 2025. For more timely insights like this, be sure to sign up for our Morning MultiState weekly morning tipsheet. We created Morning MultiState with state government affairs professionals in mind — sign up to receive the latest from our experts in your inbox every Tuesday morning. Click here to sign up.