Former President Joe Biden's administration pushed to approve the Lava Ridge Wind Project during his final weeks in office, sparking backlash from the Trump administration. (Getty Images)
"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."
The Interior Department's action follows a Day One executive order signed by Trump that moved to place a temporary moratorium on the controversial wind project. The order was followed up by another executive directive from Idaho GOP Gov. Brad Little, which directed state agencies to comply with Trump's order to halt the Lava Ridge project and other wind energy leasing in all areas within the Offshore Continental Shelf.
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.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, left, has called former President Joe Biden’s approval of the Lava Ridge wind farm "thoughtless" and vowed a return to lawful energy reviews. (Getty Images)
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In a press release put out Wednesday, the Interior Department said it was "restoring common sense to American energy policy by reversing the Biden administration’s misguided, last-minute push to approve the Lava Ridge Wind Project."
"Under President Donald J. Trump, 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 press release concluded. "The Department of the Interior will continue its review of wind energy leasing and permitting practices, with a focus on assessing the impact these developments have on our nation’s natural resources and communities."
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