At 106 Group, energy has been top-of-mind for over 30 years. As cultural resource experts, we’ve helped clients navigate regulatory requirements for major energy infrastructure enterprises, including numerous wind energy projects that provide key sources of renewable energy. Now the future of energy is tilting heavily towards these carbon-free sources.
Today, over 20 states – including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois — have legislated huge renewable energy goals. Together these state laws work with federal legislation passed in response to serious climate concerns. Not only do these policies stand to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but they are also expected to create new clean energy jobs and more affordable power sources in the long run.
The state and federal laws for carbon-free energy goals are ambitious. Minnesota, for example, aims to transition exclusively to carbon-free energy sources in less than 20 years. That means a lot of new energy projects are in the works. We’ll need to build new renewable energy facilities and upgrade old ones. We’ll need thousands of miles of transmission line improvements and new lines to be built. And we’ll need ways to transport energy so that it can do its job: powering urban, suburban, and rural communities across the country.
Tons of projects on a tight timeline — what could slow them down?
Just as the government has set goals for a more sustainable energy future, the government is also charged with protecting cultural and historic resources that may be associated with project sites. This leads to cultural resource regulations, including sections of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
In light of these regulations, efficiency and timeliness become critical to ensuring a successful project. All large-scale energy projects, whether solar farms or hydropower stations, are eventually reviewed by regulatory agencies. We can help you minimize delays sometimes caused by complex laws surrounding cultural resources.
Navigating the regulatory process, without the right expertise, is where a project can get slowed down, pushed over budget, or sometimes completely derailed. Trying to avoid or skip the regulatory process altogether only leads to even more costly delays later on. We can help you assess risk surrounding cultural resources issues to keep your project on schedule.
We rely on our long-standing relationships with the local, state, and federal agencies and tribal leaders that are typically involved in these energy projects to help you maneuver regulatory risks to progress. We have the sensitivity and experience to handle complex and nuanced situations, such as the potential presence of American Indian burials within or adjacent to your project area. We’ll help you keep your project moving forward while meeting regulatory requirements. The relationships and expertise we’ve built over the last 30 years translate to real advantages for our clients.
If your renewable energy project requires compliance with federal, state, or local environmental and cultural regulatory requirements, we can provide the following services to assist you through the process:
- Assessing risk from cultural resources issues
- Identifying, assessing, and mitigating effects to architectural, archaeological, and traditional cultural places
- Assessing ceded territory treaty rights issues
- Facilitating collaboration with American Indian tribes
- Assisting with the preparation of environmental compliance documentation (for cultural resources)
Today’s clean energy goals ask for us to move swiftly and responsibly ahead with renewable energy projects. 106 Group is here to help avoid all the inefficiencies along the way, one regulatory step at a time. Here’s to a brighter energy future!
