A Trump executive order temporarily pauses leases and permits for onshore and offshore wind projects.
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Andrew Marszal/AFP/Getty Images
Approvals for new wind energy projects in federal lands and waters are temporarily halted in the U.S. That’s after President Trump signed an executive order calling for the pause.
The order may also threaten existing wind projects, both onshore and offshore. It calls for federal government agencies to not issue new permits, approvals and loans for wind projects pending a comprehensive multiagency review.
The order uses misleading language to justify its provisions, incorrectly suggesting, among other things, that wind is not a reliable energy source and that offshore wind harms wildlife.
Wind combined with energy storage like batteries and grid management can be a reliable and inexpensive energy source. There is also no evidence that the offshore wind industry kills large marine mammals like whales. Still, Trump specified in the order “the importance of marine life, impacts on ocean currents and wind patterns.”
Wind energy advocates expected Trump to use his position as president to oppose the wind industry — though this order goes further than expected, says Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, a trade group that advocates for renewable energy.
“They’re potentially saying, let’s have a do-over and kind of redo the bureaucracy to permit these facilities that are already underway,” Grumet says. “So that’s troubling.”
Here’s what you need to know about the new executive order and wind in the United States.
What does the wind industry in the U.S. look like now?
Wind makes up about 10% of the U.S. electricity mix — the largest single source of renewable energy. In states like Iowa and South Dakota, more than half of the state’s electricity comes from wind.
More than 131,000 people work in wind in the U.S., according to the Department of Energy jobs report.
Wind makes up about 10% of the U.S. electricity mix — the largest single source of renewable energy.
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John Moore/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
Building wind turbines produces some planet-heating carbon dioxide,…
Read More: Trump’s executive order on wind projects threatens jobs, climate : NPR
