Trump temporarily suspends leasing and permitting for wind energy projects

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday temporarily suspending sales of offshore wind leases in federal waters and suspending the issuance of approvals, permits and loans for onshore and offshore wind projects.

The Secretary of the Interior will review wind energy leasing and permitting practices for federal waters and lands. The assessment will consider the environmental impact of wind projects on wildlife, the economic costs associated with intermittent electricity generation, and the effect of subsidies on the viability of the wind industry. the command indicates.

Trump wants to increase oil and gas drilling and has been hostile to renewable energy, particularly offshore wind power. Trump’s pick for Interior secretary, Doug Burgum, asked during his confirmation hearing whether it would commit to continuing the offshore wind leases that have been issued. Burgum said projects that make sense and are already written into law will continue.

Wind power currently provides about 10% of the electricity generated in the United States, making it the nation’s largest source of renewable energy. According to the American Clean Power Association, 73 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity are under development in the United States, enough to power 30 million homes.

The order also temporarily prohibits Magic Valley Energy from continuing to develop the Lava Ridge Wind Project in Idaho. The federal government approved a scaled-back plan for the wind farm in December despite local opposition, including from groups concerned about its proximity to a historic site where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II.

During the election campaign, Trump vowed to end the offshore wind industry upon his return to the White House. He wants to increase production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, which cause climate change, so that the United States has the cheapest energy and electricity in the world. all the countries in the world, he said.

It’s unclear how much authority he has to stop wind projects, particularly those with federal permits. His order will likely be challenged in court, as will a decree President Joe Biden signed shortly after taking office in 2021 a suspension of new oil and gas lease sales have been challenged.

Shortly after his election, Trump charged a New Jersey congressman and virulent critic of offshore wind powerRepublican Representative Jeff Van Drew, with write a decree on offshore wind, he could issue at the start of his mandate. Van Drew said he quickly sent the project to Burgum. Van Drew sees the executive order as a first step toward a possible moratorium on offshore wind development.

By also including onshore wind projects, Monday’s order is much broader than what Van Drew proposed. Trump says wind turbines are horrible, run only on subsidies, and are “several times” more expensive than natural gas.

Offshore wind is among the most expensive sources of new electricity generation, at about $100 per megawatt hour for new grid-connected projects in 2028, according to estimates from the Energy Information Administration. This includes tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, which reduce the cost of renewable technologies. But onshore wind is one of the cheapest sources, averaging about $31 for new projects.

New natural gas plants are expected to produce electricity at nearly $43 per megawatt hour, according to estimates. The EIA said that in addition to price, it’s important to consider grid reliability: Natural gas power plants can be operated at any time of the day, unlike solar or wind power.

Robin Shaffer, president of Protect Our Coast NJ, one of the most vocal groups opposed to offshore wind power on the East Coast, said the new executive order is only the first step toward states abandoning it. -United from offshore wind energy, a “harmful technology”, and towards more promising and sustainable energy sources.

But Kit Kennedy, managing director for energy at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the Trump administration is putting dirty fossil fuels front and center while delaying progress on renewable energy projects. This is not only bad for air quality, public health and national security, but it also cuts short a promising source of additional energy at a time when the grid needs it most, said Kennedy in a statement.

The Biden administration has sought to develop offshore wind energy as a solution to climate change, set national goals to deploy offshore wind energy, by holding rental sales and the approval of nearly a dozen commercial-scale offshore wind energy projects. The country’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm opened in Marcha 12-turbine wind farm called South Fork Wind, located 56 kilometers east of Montauk Point, New York.

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