Giorgia Burzachechi President Trump has temporarily revoked permits for offshore and onshore wind projects, suspending new permits until a full review of federal practices. The declared objective is to protect public resources and evaluate environmental and economic impacts.
@Canva
One of the first actions taken by President Donald Trump upon entering office was to pull all offshore wind project concessions, essentially closing down an entire industry and taking a giant leap back on the road to a green energy revolution.
January 20, Inauguration Day, Trump issued a memorandum entitled “Temporary Withdrawal of All Outer Continental Shelf Areas from Offshore Wind Energy Leasing and Review of Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects.” The memo, posted on the White House site, pulled concessions for offshore wind projects as of January 21 by notice until further.
The memorandum
The executive order calls for a temporary suspension of new authorizations, permits, leases, or funding of onshore and offshore wind development until there is a general review of federal leasing and permitting policies for these projects.
The purported intention is to achieve proper control of public assets considering factors such as the protection of marine animals, impacts on ocean currents and winds, implications on the cost of energy to American citizens, and the need to maintain a strong fishing industry for generations to come.
Lazard’s report
But the statements of the 47th president of the United States do not come from research by Lazard, the world’s largest independent investment bank. In its 2024 report, Lazard puts into perspective that despite macroeconomic limitations, such as increased interest rates that have increased the lower end of the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) for some of the renewable energy sources, renewables remain competitive compared to traditional sources of energy. The report projects and encourages the continued replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy.
The association response
Wind energy is an important component of meeting the growing electricity demands of the manufacturing sector and data centers, which are crucial to national security.
This was stated by the American Clean Power Association, the voice of the new multi-technology clean energy industry in the U.S.
Eight of the top ten wind-energy dependent states elected President Trump, some of which have a significant dependence on wind power for part of their electrical supply. Reducing wind development in these states will certainly drive up energy prices for consumers.
