The Trump administration is cancelling a massive wind project in Idaho, another blow to the U.S. wind industry as the president seeks to propel fossil fuel development nationwide.
The 231-turbine Lava Ridge Wind Project had won approval during the waning weeks of the administration of President Joe Biden.
The Interior Department revoked approval for Lava Ridge, owned by a subsidiary of privately held LS Power LLC, after “crucial legal deficiencies in the issuance of the approval” were discovered, the agency said in a statement Wednesday. The more than 57,000-acre project had drawn criticism in part because of its placement near a site used to imprison Japanese Americans during World War II.
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The Interior Department, which has authority over hundreds of millions of acres of federal land and water, is ramping up its attack on wind and solar projects derided by President Donald Trump, arguing they received preferential treatment during the previous administration. Late last month, the agency announced a comprehensive review of its approval process for the projects, a move it warned could lead to halting wind development on federal land.
“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,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a statement.
LS Power subsidiary Magic Valley Energy, which was developing the project in southern Idaho, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Renewable energy advocates have called the moves against wind power misguided, arguing that surging energy demand in the U.S. warrants the development of more renewable energy sources, not strikes against them.
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