In a split 2-1 decision, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed EPA’s 2008 “Water Transfer Rule” which exempted water management facilities from obtaining Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. The Water Transfer Rule was an outgrowth of the 2004 Supreme Court decision in South Florida Water Management District v. Miccosukee Tribe, and is important for flood control projects, water supply particularly in arid areas, dams and hydropower generation, and related activities involving the necessary movement of water. Several environmental organizations and governments challenged the rule in the District Court for the Southern District of New York… Read more
Tag: hydropower
House Extends Tax Credits for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Last Friday, December 5, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 5771, the “Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014”, which includes an extension of several tax credits and other tax benefits utilized in renewable energy projects and for energy efficiency. Included in the extension are: Production tax credit for energy produced from wind, closed-loop and open-loop biomass, geothermal, landfill gas, trash, qualified hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetic facilities Bonus depreciation New markets tax credit, often combined with specific renewable energy tax credits in qualifying locations Credits for energy-efficient new homes Special allowance for second-generation biofuel plant property Energy-efficient commercial buildings deduction… Read more