unnecessary and undue degradation

• Eric Biber
• February 13, 2026

What does UUD mean?

A key legal standard in public lands law is being used by the Trump Administration to stop renewable energy, but in the long run the Administration’s position may advance environmentalists objectives.

Last August, the Secretary of the Interior issued an order that required considering the “capacity density” of an energy source in issuing permits for that energy source on federal land.  The order was a blatant effort to stop renewables permitting on federal lands, because the “capacity density” measure the agency used simply looks at the …

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