Charles Howland Quoted in Law360 Article on Brownfields: Repurposing Landfills for Solar Energy and More

Partner Charles Howland was quoted in an article entitled, “Brownfields to Brightfields: Landfills are Primed for Solar” published in Law360. The article examines making better use of landfills, which often take up space in neighborhoods and remain unused for decades. Some ideas include adding solar farms and other renewables on top of landfills.

Speaking to Law360, Mr. Howland discusses IRS guidelines stemming from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which provides for tax breaks for brownfields considered as “energy communities.” Depending on their classification as National Priority List sites, some contaminated sites are eligible, but some are not. Howland believes in collaboration between those who understand cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields, and those who understand solar and other renewable projects.

"Often, real estate developers and brownfield developers understand the economics of brownfields and feel comfortable quantifying the financial risks presented by the presence of contaminants ... But [they] may or may not be comfortable with the world of energy project development. Whatever you need to do environmentally to make that site protective for human health and environment needs to be independent of whether or not you put solar on it.”

The full article is available here.