Trump administration reverses Biden approval of major wind farm in Idaho

SEATTLE (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday canceled a major wind farm development in Idaho, a project approved late in former President Joe Biden's term that had drawn criticism for its proximity to a historic site where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II.

The Bureau of Land Management in December signed off on a scaled-down plan for the Lava Ridge Wind Project northeast of Twin Falls, with 241 wind turbines instead of 400. But the development had been on hold since the first day of President Donald Trump's second term, when he issued an executive order halting the permitting of wind power projects across the country and telling the Interior Department to review the Lava Ridge decision.

“By reversing the Biden administration’s thoughtless approval of the Lava Ridge Wind Project, we are protecting tens of thousands of acres from harmful wind policy while shielding the interests of rural Idaho communities," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. "This decisive action defends the American taxpayer, safeguards our land, and averts what would have been one of the largest, most irresponsible wind projects in the nation.”

The project, five years in the works, faced opposition from local residents concerned about the height of the turbines — up to 660 feet (201 meters), or more than twice the height of the Statue of Liberty. It also drew concerns it would spoil views from the Minidoka National Historic Site, where thousands of Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II.

Under the plan, the closest turbine to the historic site would have been 9 miles (14 kilometers) away.

Robyn Achilles, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Minidoka, said in a text message her organization was reviewing the announcement.

“We must protect Minidoka from future development, so we continue to seek long term protections for the BLM land in Minidoka's cultural viewshed,” Achilles wrote.

The Interior Department's statement rescinding Lava Ridge's approval did not mention Minidoka. A spokeswoman for the company that proposed the development, Magic Valley Energy, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

The Bureau of Land Management said when it approved the project that it could power up to 500,000 homes and that its decision reflected "a careful balance of clean energy development with the protection of natural, cultural, and socioeconomic resources on this historically significant landscape.”

Onshore wind is one of the cheapest sources of electricity generation. New wind farms cost less to build and operate than new natural gas plants on average in most regions of the United States, even without tax credits.

The Trump administration and congressional Republicans have targeted wind and solar projects as expensive and unreliable while taking steps to support the burning of fossil fuels, which is dangerously heating the planet.

Renewable energies such as wind and solar provide an intermittent supply of electricity when it is windy or sunny. Increasingly, batteries are getting paired with solar and wind projects to allow renewables to replace fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal, while keeping a steady flow of power when sources such as wind and solar are not producing.

The tax-and-spending legislation signed by Trump last month phases out tax credits and other subsidies for clean energy, and an executive order issued by Trump a few days later further restricts subsidies for what he calls “the Green New Scam.”

Since then, Burgum has issued a series of memos targeting wind and solar power, including a July 17 memo that requires his personal 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, grants and biological opinions.

The restrictions on clean-energy projects are aimed at “ending preferential treatment for unreliable, subsidy-dependent wind and solar energy,” the Interior Department said in a statement.

Late last month, Burgum canceled plans to use millions of acres of federal waters for new offshore wind development.

And earlier this week, he issued a new 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.

“This isn’t oversight," said Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, which represents the renewable industry. "It’s obstruction that will needlessly harm the fastest growing sources of electric power.”

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Matthew Daly in Washington and Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed.