It took the re-election of a battered Republican candidate — and a milestone rejection of the Democratic Party’s climate and energy policies by the American electorate — to stop the years-long assault on rural America, our landscapes, and our wildlife by Big Wind and its many allies. [emphasis, links added]
But yesterday, in a landmark executive order, President Donald Trump ordered that all federal agencies must immediately assess “the environmental impact of onshore and offshore wind projects upon wildlife, including, but not limited to, birds and marine mammals.”
For over a decade, Big Wind has dodged and weaved and denied responsibility for its impact on everything from eagles to North Atlantic Right Whales.
Big Wind has also repeatedly steamrolled rural communities and coastal communities in its pursuit of federal tax credits. No longer. There’s a new sheriff in Washington, and it’s clear that things are changing.
As predicted in November, Trump immediately went after the offshore wind sector. But his executive order on wind, titled “Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of The Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects,” goes beyond offshore wind.
Trump also ordered a halt to the controversial Lava Wind project in Idaho.
As reported in September, the entire state of Idaho opposes the Lava Ridge project, which is owned by New York-based LS Power.
In 2023, the Idaho House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution stating its opposition to the proposed 1,200-megawatt facility, which could be built on federal land near the Minidoka National Historic Site.
I made a promise to Idahoans that I would not rest until the Lava Ridge Wind Project was terminated. On day one, President @realDonaldTrump took action to keep that promise. pic.twitter.com/fNn0nvR9FD
— Jim Risch (@SenatorRisch) January 21, 2025
Shortly after Trump signed the order, Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) praised the move, saying,
“Lava Ridge has been the embodiment of liberals’ disregard for the voices of Idahoans and rural America. Despite intense and widespread opposition from Idaho and the Japanese American community, the previous administration remained dead-set on pushing this unwanted project.”
The executive order on wind energy was part of the biggest one-day turnaround in energy and climate policies in American history.
Here are some of the specifics.
Read rest at Robert Bryce
Top photo of Sen. Jim Risch (R) and President Trump via X/SenatorRisch
