Trump Admin Halts Biden-Approved Wind Farm Project
President Donald Trump’s Interior Department has halted the Lava Ridge Wind Project, a massive on-shore wind farm approved by the Biden administration in its final days in office. The project, located in southern Idaho, was expected to generate 1,000 megawatts of power with up to 231 turbines across nearly 57,447 acres. The Trump administration cited significant legal deficiencies in the Biden decision, including the lack of adherence to certain statutory requirements. This reversal comes after Trump issued a Day One executive order to place a temporary moratorium on the project, and Idaho Governor Brad Little followed suit with a directive to state agencies to comply with the federal halt.
Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador previously criticized the Biden administration for not thoroughly assessing the project’s risk to low-flying aircraft, with FAA rules requiring structures over 200 feet to be evaluated for flight hazards. Congressman Mike Simpson also criticized the approval process for not engaging with stakeholders on issues like the Minidoka National Historic Site, grazing, and wildfire response. In a press release, the Interior Department stated it was restoring common sense to energy policy by reversing the Biden decision, emphasizing a return to prioritizing rural communities and natural resources over unreliable power sources.