Key Takeaways
The Trump administration cancelled a 1,200-megawatt, 231-turbine wind project that was to be located on 57,000 acres of federal land in southern Idaho, with turbine height over twice that of the Statue of Liberty.
Wind developers and advocates claim that wind is less expensive than new natural gas-powered electricity, even without subsidies, but they do not attribute to the cost of wind the back-up power needed when the wind is not blowing.
Wind turbines also kill birds and bats, but have been allowed permits to do so.
The Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that more than 80% of existing land-based wind turbines in the Lower 48 states may be eligible for the permits.
The Trump administration canceled the Lava Ridge wind project in southern Idaho — a project that the Biden administration approved just six weeks before the end of Biden’s term, despite the Idaho state legislature voting unanimously against the project in 2023. The 1,200-megawatt, 231-turbine wind project was to be located on 57,000 acres of federal land near the southern Idaho town of Dietrich. The project was criticized for infringing on the Minidoka National Historic Site, which commemorates the incarceration of thousands of Japanese-American citizens during World War II. As he cancelled the project, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said, “We will no longer provide preferential treatment towards unreliable, intermittent power sources that harm rural communities, livelihoods and the land.”
The project was in the works for five years and faced opposition from local residents concerned about the height of the turbines — up to 660 feet, or more than twice the height of the Statue of Liberty. Under the plan, the turbines would have been located just nine miles away from the Minidoka National Historic Site.
Wind developers and advocates claim that wind is less expensive than new natural gas-powered electricity, even without subsidies. But that comparison is akin to comparing apples and oranges because wind turbines cannot operate 24/7 as natural gas generators can. As a result, wind requires natural gas, coal, nuclear power, or expensive batteries as backup when the wind is not blowing. The cost of the backup power, however, is not attributed to the cost of wind. Intermittent wind power requires duplicate power sources at a cost, or storage batteries that can only provide power when excess power is generated. Batteries do not generate power on their own. Also, despite the claim that wind does not need subsidies, whenever the threat of sunsetting wind subsidies occurs, wind lobbyists fight for their continuation, making the consumer pay for wind power twice — when using it and when paying taxes that support the subsidy. Under Biden, when capacity additions were mostly wind and solar and existing fossil fuel capacity was being shuttered, residential electricity prices increased by 25%.
Canceling the wind project will also benefit birds that are killed by the turbine blades. Wind turbines are able to obtain permits that allow them to kill eagles, bats, and other birds, despite legislation to the contrary.
The Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940 and its amendments prohibit the killing or capturing of that species, as well as the golden eagle. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 prohibits the take (including killing, capturing, selling, trading, and transporting) of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Regulations to implement the laws have included an evolving permit system. “Incidental take” permits allow for unintentional eagle deaths in exchange for the wind project taking steps to improve conservation. Wind energy projects can qualify by meeting specific standards, such as locating all turbines at least two miles from a golden eagle nest and at least 660 feet from a bald eagle nest. FWS has estimated that more than 80% of existing land-based wind turbines in the Lower 48 states may be eligible for general permits.
The FWS under the Trump administration has stopped issuing incidental take permits and has indicated on its legal permitting webpage that the freeze on permits will last “until further notice.” The Trump administration is also asking developers for their permit applications, the permits, mitigation and management plans, and “Records of fatality monitoring methods and observations.”
Other Trump Administration Actions Against Wind Power
The wind production tax credit was first passed in 1992 to help an infant industry compete in the market. Thirty-three years later, the industry still wants subsidies, despite indicating that it is competitive without them.
Secretary Burgum has also issued a series of memos regarding wind power. A July 17 memo requires his approval of all solar and wind energy projects on federal lands and waters. The order authorizes Burgum to conduct “elevated review” of activities ranging from leases to rights of way, construction and operational plans, and grants and biological opinions. He has also canceled Biden administration plans to use millions of acres of federal waters for new offshore wind development — an extremely expensive, intermittent generating technology — saving homeowners from having to pay even higher electricity prices. According to Riviera Maritime Media, the Department has paused approvals for offshore wind projects, including leases, permits, rights-of-way, and loans, in compliance with the Presidential Memorandum on wind energy, while it conducts a review of offshore wind energy projects and their impact on the environment, national security, and the economy.
More recently, Burgum issued a secretarial order requiring that Interior agencies evaluating new wind and solar consider “capacity density,” or how much area the projects cover. Commercial-scale solar and wind projects typically require a much greater amount of land and water than other energy sources, such as oil and natural gas, taking over coveted farmland.
Analysis
The Trump administration’s cancellation of a 1,200-megawatt, 231-turbine wind project continues the trend of so-called “renewable” projects being scrapped. Wind developers and advocates claim that wind is less expensive than new natural gas-powered electricity, even without subsidies. However, this is not true as it does not account for the full system costs of adding renewable energy to the grid at high levels of penetration. Overall, discussions around wind rarely consider the full costs, making wind appear better off than it really is.
For inquiries, please contact [email protected].
