Trump Admin Stops Idaho Wind Farm Approved Under Biden
President Donald Trump’s Interior Department has canceled a large wind farm project in Idaho that was approved during the Biden administration.
The Lava Ridge Wind Project, approved in December 2024 by the Biden administration’s Bureau of Land Management, was slated to produce 1,000 megawatts of power with up to 231 wind turbines across nearly 57,447 acres in southern Idaho, Townhall reported.
Interior Department officials said they found “crucial legal deficiencies” in Biden’s approval, including failures to meet “statutorily binding criteria.”
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum reversed the decision, saying the department “will no longer provide preferential treatment towards unreliable, intermittent power sources that harm rural communities, livelihoods and the land.”
“Under President Donald Trump’s bold leadership, the Department is putting the brakes on deficient, unreliable energy and putting the American people first,” Burgum said. “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. 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.”
I said, “Don’t do it!”
— Jim Risch (@SenatorRisch) January 21, 2025
Idaho said, “Don’t do it!”
Today, President @realDonaldTrump said, “We WON’T do it!”
The Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project is NO MORE! pic.twitter.com/SJtdsEuhqT
The project had been reviewed under a Trump memorandum titled “Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects.”
In January, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed E.O. 2025-01, the “Gone with the Lava Ridge Wind Project Act,” directing all state agencies to cooperate with the Trump administration’s review. Several state agencies submitted letters to the Bureau of Land Management describing what they called a lack of consultation during the original review process.
In February, the Idaho House of Representatives unanimously voted to oppose the wind farm.
Trump had also ordered a new review of the project, citing concerns that Biden officials may have skirted legal obligations during the approval process.
Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador previously argued the Biden administration did not fully assess the risk to low-flying aircraft. He noted Federal Aviation Administration rules require any structure over 200 feet to be evaluated for potential hazards to low-level flights.
The Interior Department said it will continue reviewing wind energy leasing and permitting practices nationwide.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, wind turbines accounted for about 10.3% of total U.S. utility-scale electricity generation in 2022.
Meanwhile, the president has also vowed to make Washington, D.C., “one of the safest” cities in the world as his administration moves to curb violent crime in the nation’s capital.
In a Truth Social post Saturday, Trump said a White House press conference Monday will outline his plan to stop violent crime in the District.
“It has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote. “It will soon be one of the safest!!!”
The announcement followed Thursday’s statement from the White House that Trump had ordered an increased presence of federal law enforcement in the city, The Washington Times reported.
“Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens.”
The weeklong initiative, with a possible extension, is being led by the U.S. Capitol Police, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Protective Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
