The Trump administration is moving to terminate a massive wind farm project that was to be located close to a World War II memorial site that the Biden administration ramrodded approval for in its final weeks.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced Wednesday that the agency plans to terminate the Lava Ridge Wind Project in southern Idaho, which the Biden administration greenlit in December 2024 over intense local opposition. The DOI cited that the project’s approval had “crucial legal deficiencies” and noted local backlash, as protests sparked over proposals to build the massive wind farm close to a World War II memorial site.
“Under President Donald Trump’s bold leadership, the Department is putting the brakes on deficient, unreliable energy and putting the American people first,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said Wednesday. “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.”
Under @POTUS‘s bold leadership, @Interior is putting the brakes on deficient, unreliable energy and putting the American people first. https://t.co/yWeiS0dV7C
— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) August 6, 2025
The Lava Ridge Wind Project was expected to host up to 231 wind turbines across almost 60,000 acres in Idaho, according to the DOI. Following a review ordered by President Donald Trump on his first day back in the Oval Office, the agency announced its findings, stating that the project’s approval was rushed and that “unique statutory criteria” were ignored.
Many locals protested the project over fears that it would endanger the Minidoka National Historic Site, where Japanese-Americans had been incarcerated during World War II. The Biden administration had looked to shrink and move the project further away from the site following the public scorn.
The DOI has dealt several blows to the green energy technology favored by the Biden administration in the last week, halting “preferential treatment” for wind and solar on July 29 and creating another permitting roadblock for green energy on public lands on August 1. Burgum also wrote on X in late July that wind projects “are known to kill eagles,” and has moved to clear hurdles for traditional energy sources like coal.
The agency noted that it will continue to review its wind energy leasing and permitting customs, focusing on the impact the projects will leave on local communities and U.S. resources.
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