Among the dozens of executive orders President Donald Trump signed shortly after being sworn in office is one that temporarily pauses leasing and permitting land for wind energy. It’s a step toward his campaign promise to “Drill, baby, drill” and to end government investments into green energy.
The order also protects the community of locals in south-central Idaho — nestled between Twin Falls, Burley and Jerome — from what could have been the biggest wind energy farm in the U.S.
“Idahoans have a friend in President Trump who will listen to their sound judgement and expertise on local natural resources issues.”
After three years of compromise and public feedback, in December 2024, the Bureau of Land Management approved the project for 230 wind turbines that are 600 feet tall, spanning 57,447 acres instead of nearly 200,000 acres, as first proposed. This “rational compromise,” as the BLM called it, pacified some opposition at the time, who viewed it essential to invest in greener energy sources to scale back on oil and gas. But politicians and many local residents, including the Stop Lava Ridge group, with a few thousand members on Facebook, remained critical.
Magic Valley Energy originally proposed erecting 400 wind turbines with blades longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747, as well as roads, power lines and operational facilities to go along with the project.
As the Deseret News reported in July 2023, environmentalists questioned the role public lands should play in transitioning to clean energy. Such a wind energy farm, on leased sprawls of untouched, publicly owned land, would affect local farmers and ranchers, as well as the Minidoka National Historic Site, a relocation site where more than 13,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. It received criticism from Idaho’s local, state and federal politicians, too.
Now, Trump’s order states the project “is allegedly contrary to the public interest and suffers from legal deficiencies,” and directs the secretary of the Interior to temporarily halt all of Magic Valley Energy’s development plans in the Idaho area.
If confirmed, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who received the nomination for Interior secretary, would review and analyze the BLM’s findings and final decision related to the wind farm.
The order imposes restrictions on leasing for only wind energy, and not oil, gas or minerals.
Friends of Minidoka, a nonprofit that works on preserving the Japanese history, in a statement said they are pleased about the decision to put the project on hold.
“The proposed Lava Ridge wind development should be stopped and the area outside of Minidoka should be protected from future energy development that harms the viewshed of the park,” they said. Friends of Minidoka is seeking long term protections for the site.
The Idaho Conservation League, which originally opposed the project but changed its stance after the proposals shrunk in size, in a statement to the Deseret News, said, “While the Lava Ridge Project wasn’t perfect, and the BLM and LS Power could have done a better job engaging the public in the planning process, we desperately need to develop new sources of renewable energy in order to meet the growing demand for electricity and replace carbon-emitting coal and gas power plants.”
The conservation nonprofit noted that Idaho doesn’t have wind or solar energy projects on public lands, and imports 30% of its energy.
“If the Lava Ridge Project is not a suitable location, then we need to work together to find locations that are suitable for the development of wind and solar in Idaho,” the ICL’s statement added. “Opposing all wind and solar projects is not a viable solution.”
These energy sources can also be cheaper for consumers in comparison to oil and gas. Failing to develop renewable energy sources leaves Americans “on the hook for higher electric bills and longer, hotter, drier and smokier summers,” the group argued.
ICL also noted that the BLM’s final decision offered protections around 13,000 acres of the Minidoka National Historic Site and the Owinza pronghorn migration corridor, and hoped these provisions would stay in place.
American Clean Power Association’s CEO Jason Grumet argued that Trump is right to think energy policy needs significant reform to grow American manufacturing and establish technological dominance. But the association opposed the “blanket measures to halt or impede development of domestic wind energy on federal lands and waters.”
“While on one hand the administration seeks to reduce bureaucracy and unleash energy production, on the other it increases bureaucratic barriers, undermining domestic energy development and harming American businesses and workers,” he said in a statement.
While environmentalists tow the fine line between tackling climate change and protecting the interests of locals, politicians rejoiced Trump’s decision.
Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, took credit for furthering his state’s priorities in Washington, D.C.
“I made a promise to Idahoans that I would not rest until the Lava Ridge Wind Project was terminated. On day one, President Donald Trump took action to keep that promise,” Risch said in a statement.
Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, also echoed the sentiment that Trump is fulfilling his promise and “listening to the valid concerns of Idahoans, Minidoka survivors and descendants, farmers, ranchers and sportsmen.”
He accused the Biden administration of approving the massive wind energy project even though locals, politicians and civilians, were against it.
“Idahoans have a friend in President Trump who will listen to their sound judgement and expertise on local natural resources issues,” Crapo said.
Republican Gov. Brad Little, in support of this win, introduced his own executive order, the Gone with the Lava Ridge Wind Project Act, which would ensure the state helps the federal government conduct the review and consider the state’s input while issuing an analysis.
