Ben Cowan, a partner in Troutman Pepper Locke’s Energy Industry Group, was quoted in the May 22, 2025 Law360 article, “Critics Decry Budget Bill As Clean Energy ‘Attempted Murder’.”

In order to complete physical work of a significant nature, developers will need operational control of their project sites and, in many cases, have all necessary permits approved. Applying for and receiving all of those permits within 60 days isn’t realistic, said Troutman Pepper Locke LLP partner Ben Cowan, who works on renewable energy project permitting.

“For certain permits, like your simple stormwater construction permit or self-certifying nationwide permit, those kinds of permits wouldn’t be much of an obstacle,” Cowan said. “But if you need a county-level permit, or some other, more significant permit prior to starting construction — for example, an Endangered Species Act permit for tree clearing — that’s just not something you’re going to be able to obtain in that kind of a time frame.”

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