(NewsNation) — The Trump administration has completely halted plans to use large areas of federal waters for new offshore wind energy developments. This comes as the U.S. Department of the Interior will end preferential treatment for renewable energy sources it deems “unreliable.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized wind turbines, calling them a hoax, dangerous and too expensive as an energy source.
Wind energy currently makes up more than 10% of the national power supply, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. There are more than 73,000 turbines across 45 states, according to the U.S. wind turbine database.
U.S. Department of the Interior ends preferential treatment
Last year, the Biden administration announced plans to lease federal offshore tracts for wind energy production. But Trump reversed many of the country’s renewable energy policies when he took office in January, favoring fossil fuel energy sources instead.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced Wednesday that the department will end all preferential treatment for wind energy.
“The Department of the Interior is ending special treatment for unreliable energy sources, such as wind. This includes evaluating whether to stop onshore wind development on some federal lands and halting future offshore wind lease sales,” he said.
Curb on wind energy would impact consumers
Industry experts expect demand for wind energy to surge in the coming years, especially to power AI and electric vehicles.
“If we stopped building it, or made it harder to be built, it would result in higher electricity costs and maybe us not being able to get all the energy that we need to run the economy that we’re looking to develop,” Joshua Rhoades, a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, told NewsNation’s Nancy Loo.
States like California and Texas rely heavily on renewables
More than two-thirds of California’s energy comes from renewable sources such as solar, hydro and wind. The state has a goal of using exclusively clean energy by 2045.
Texas has nearly 20,000 wind turbines, and wind energy accounts for almost 30% of the overall power supply in the state.
Wind energy is also prominent throughout the heartland in places like Iowa, Oklahoma and Kansas. Turbines have been lucrative for farmers who lease land to wind energy companies. Depending on the size and location, each turbine can generate tens of thousands of dollars in annual income.
Trump’s repeated disdain for wind turbines
Last week in Scotland, Trump criticized wind turbines that were visible from his new golf course.
“It is the worst form of energy, the most expensive form of energy,” he said.
In June, Trump announced his administration would only approve wind energy in emergencies.
“We’re not going to approve windmills unless something happens that’s an emergency. I guess it could happen, but we’re not doing any of them,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
