Trump Administration Blows Away 231-Wind Turbine Farm in Idaho

President Donald Trump’s Interior Department will stop a large wind farm in Idaho, a project approved by former President Joe Biden. 

The Lava Ridge Wind Project, approved in December 2024 by the Biden administration’s Bureau of Land Management, was expected to be a 1,000-megawatt wind farm with up to 231 wind turbines across nearly 57,447 acres in southern Idaho. 

But officials at the Interior Department found “crucial legal deficiencies” with Biden’s approval of the project, including certain statutorily binding criteria that were ignored, according to a press release announcing the decision to terminate the wind farm project. 

Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum reversed the Biden administration’s approval of the Lava Ridge Wind Project. The Department of the Interior “will no longer provide preferential treatment towards unreliable, intermittent power sources that harm rural communities, livelihoods and the land,” the department said in a news release. 

The project was reviewed under 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.” 

“Under President Donald Trump’s bold leadership, the Department is putting the brakes on deficient, unreliable energy and putting the American people first,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “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.” 

In January, Governor Brad Little signed E.O. 2025-01 “Gone with the Lava Ridge Wind Project Act,” which directed all state agencies to cooperate with the Trump administration’s review process, and during the review, multiple state agencies provided the Bureau of Land Management with letters describing a significant lack of consultation throughout the original review process for the project. 

In addition, in February, the Idaho House of Representatives unanimously voted to oppose Lava Ridge. 

The Department of the Interior will continue its review of wind energy leasing and permitting practices.

Trum asked for the project to be reviewed In Trump’s executive order, the president also requested a new review be conducted by the Interior Department, citing the fact that the Biden administration may have skirted certain legal obligations associated with approving the Lava Ridge project.

 Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador previously accused the Biden administration of not adequately reviewing the wind farm’s potential risk to low-flying aircraft. According to Labrador, Federal Aviation Administration rules dictate that any structure over 200-feet tall must be evaluated for low-level flight hazards.

In 2022, wind turbines provided about 10.3% of total U.S. utility-scale electricity generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

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President Donald Trump’s Interior Department will stop a large wind farm in Idaho, a project approved by former President Joe Biden. 

The Lava Ridge Wind Project, approved in December 2024 by the Biden administration’s Bureau of Land Management, was expected to be a 1,000-megawatt wind farm with up to 231 wind turbines across nearly 57,447 acres in southern Idaho. 

But officials at the Interior Department found “crucial legal deficiencies” with Biden’s approval of the project, including certain statutorily binding criteria that were ignored, according to a press release announcing the decision to terminate the wind farm project. 

Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum reversed the Biden administration’s approval of the Lava Ridge Wind Project. The Department of the Interior “will no longer provide preferential treatment towards unreliable, intermittent power sources that harm rural communities, livelihoods and the land,” the department said in a news release. 

The project was reviewed under 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.” 

“Under President Donald Trump’s bold leadership, the Department is putting the brakes on deficient, unreliable energy and putting the American people first,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “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.” 

In January, Governor Brad Little signed E.O. 2025-01 “Gone with the Lava Ridge Wind Project Act,” which directed all state agencies to cooperate with the Trump administration’s review process, and during the review, multiple state agencies provided the Bureau of Land Management with letters describing a significant lack of consultation throughout the original review process for the project. 

In addition, in February, the Idaho House of Representatives unanimously voted to oppose Lava Ridge. 

The Department of the Interior will continue its review of wind energy leasing and permitting practices.

Trum asked for the project to be reviewed In Trump’s executive order, the president also requested a new review be conducted by the Interior Department, citing the fact that the Biden administration may have skirted certain legal obligations associated with approving the Lava Ridge project.

 Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador previously accused the Biden administration of not adequately reviewing the wind farm’s potential risk to low-flying aircraft. According to Labrador, Federal Aviation Administration rules dictate that any structure over 200-feet tall must be evaluated for low-level flight hazards.

In 2022, wind turbines provided about 10.3% of total U.S. utility-scale electricity generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.

Join Townhall VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!