Oregon is preparing to fast-track solar and wind permits to take advantage of federal tax credits before they expire next year, in response to an executive order signed Monday by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek.

It directs state agencies to prioritize, authorize and accelerate renewable energy projects in the state.

“With the elimination of promised incentives by the Trump Administration, states must step up as the last line of defense against climate catastrophe. We have to get renewable energy infrastructure built, and quickly,” Kotek said in a statement. “We cannot afford to lose this critical window; every wind and solar project we help complete now directly fights the irreversible climate damage we’re racing to prevent.”

The state needs more renewable energy projects, like wind and solar, on its grid to meet its renewable energy goals and help lower the cost of electricity.

But Oregon is nearly at the bottom of the country when it comes to adding renewables to the grid due to lengthy permitting processes as well as delays and costs associated with hooking these projects to regional transmission lines, as a joint investigation by OPB and ProPublica found.

The executive order directs state agencies, boards and commissions to take “any and all steps necessary and authorized by existing statutes ” to prioritize siting and permitting renewable energy commercial projects to begin construction by July 4, 2026.

Those projects would qualify for the Investment Tax Credit and the Production Tax Credit — if they also follow other requirements and complete construction within four years. If projects fail to meet the July 4 construction deadline, they only have until December 31, 2027, to come online in order to qualify for those credits.

Kotek’s order comes after the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill made sweeping changes to when and how developers can receive tax credits for building renewable energy projects. The tax credits could fund between 30% to 50% of most solar and wind projects.

Under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, those credits sought to lower construction costs for wind and solar projects and to boost the renewable energy industry, as part of a push to help the transition from fossil fuels to power homes.

Because those credits are being phased out under the Trump-backed bill, Oregon could lose about 4 gigawatts of planned wind and solar energy, or enough renewable electricity to power one million homes. According to Atlas Public Policy, a data and policy firm based in Washington, D.C., Oregon has nine wind and solar projects now at risk of not qualifying for the tax credit.

The new deadline to receive tax credits could be especially challenging in Oregon.

That’s due, in part, to the approval process that renewable energy developers must navigate to get all permits necessary to begin construction. Those include state land use and siting permits that take years to get. A project may also have to go through an environmental impact study that could take years to finish and add additional time to when a project might be approved.

As developers wait for these permits, some also have to wait for the Bonneville Power Administration to allow projects to connect to its transmission lines, another barrier to getting these projects done. Bonneville owns about 75% of the Northwest’s transmission lines, and its lines are largely full with no capacity for new sources of electricity. It can take years before Bonneville determines whether a proposed project can plug into its grid.

Kotek’s executive order might help fast-track those projects within state agencies, but renewable developers would still need Bonneville’s approval to hook on to the grid so their power can reach homes and businesses.

Now, Oregon’s on the clock to approve and begin construction on those projects.

The executive order directs the Oregon Department of Energy and the state Energy Facility Siting Council to identify and prioritize siting approval for projects that must begin construction by July 4 to get federal incentives. The highest priority would be given to projects that have secured contracts between a developer and a utility and that can demonstrate they will provide benefits to Oregon ratepayers.

Under the governor’s order, the Oregon Public Utility Commission, which regulates utilities, will accelerate procurement of renewable energy resources. Kotek also directed the commission to consider using an outside contractor to study how solar and wind power projects connect to the electrical grid.

“Oregonians are already feeling the strain of rising energy costs and worsening climate impacts, yet Congress and the Trump administration have launched an all-out assault on affordable clean energy and our safe climate future,” Climate Solution Oregon Director Nora Apter said in a statement. “By moving swiftly to get as many wind and solar projects across the finish line as possible before the loss of federal tax credits, Governor Kotek is defending Oregon families, family-wage jobs, and energy resilience against these senseless attacks. Today’s action will help ensure that renewable energy projects can capture critical federal incentives before they disappear – keeping Oregon competitive and able to power our state’s growing energy demands with clean, affordable electricity.”

Oregon joins a handful of states that have already moved to more rapidly approve qualifying projects, like Colorado, Maine and California.

Both through legislation like the Big Beautiful Bill, as well as executive actions by the president and political leaders of federal agencies, the Trump administration has rescinded billions in previously approved federal funding for climate action and renewable energy projects.

Last week, the administration cancelled funding for an additional $400 million in renewable energy projects, most of them aimed at building out transmission, including the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Portland General Electric’s $250 million Bethel-Round Butte transmission line.

In August, the administration also rescinded Oregon’s $87 million Solar For All Grant, a program aimed at boosting solar adoption for low-income residents. The state sent a formal letter asking the federal government to reverse its decision.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/06/oregon-renewable-energy-projects-accelerate-trump-deadline/