Donald Trump halted construction on what was set to be the largest wind farm in the U.S. on his first day in office.
The president stopped building work on over 100,000 acres of clean energy infrastructure at the Lava Ridge Wind Project in Idaho via an executive order on Tuesday.
Newsweek contacted the White House and developers Magic Valley Energy for more information on the order, the decision and the implications for those involved in the project via email. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) declined to comment when approached by Newsweek.
Why It Matters
The move is part of a series of day-one promises that Trump pledged to fulfill once he was sworn in.
In his inauguration speech, Trump said that the U.S. would “drill, baby, drill,” and expand oil and gas initiatives at the expense of renewable energy projects. This order, along with his removal of the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, symbolizes Trump’s move towards traditional fuel sources.
What to Know
The Lava Ridge Wind Project would have been a 104,000-acre wind farm in Lava Ridge, Idaho, with over 271 turbines planned by developers Magic Valley Energy.
This would have made Lava Ridge the largest wind farm in the U.S. by area, beating out the 100,000-acre titleholder in Roscoe, Texas.
However, because of the project’s scale, it was met with skepticism by local campaigners, including Republican Idaho Senator Jim Risch. In 2023, Idaho lawmakers issued a statement with concerns over how the project was being managed by the BLM.
Hellbound and Down 