Wind projects are stalled because the Pentagon isn’t completing its reviews, industry group says

The Pentagon is holding up the development of more than 250 new onshore wind farms on private lands by failing to complete its national security reviews, according to an industry group.

The Pentagon evaluates wind energy projects during the Federal Aviation Administration review process. But in recent weeks, it has stopped sending any projects back to the FAA, grinding the process to a halt, the American Clean Power industry association said.

In a statement Thursday, the Pentagon said its siting clearinghouse is actively evaluating land-based wind energy projects to ensure they do not impair national security or military operations, in accordance with statutory and regulatory requirements — a process that involves complex, time-consuming interagency coordination.

However, Jason Grumet, CEO of ACP, said there has never been anything remotely comparable to a backlog of this size or a near-systemwide halt in transmittals back to FAA. Calling it a “de facto moratorium” on new land-based wind energy development, he said if the projects remain stalled, it would dramatically obstruct the industry at a time when the power is needed to meet skyrocketing demand and help lower utility bills.

More than 250 projects are pending in over 30 states, totaling at least 30 gigawatts of energy that could power millions of homes if the wind farms are built, ACP said. Wind power is also a climate change solution, as it generates electricity cleanly without emitting planet-warming greenhouse gases.

President Donald Trump has frequently talked about his hatred of wind power and calls turbines ugly. When he returned to office, he ordered a temporary halt to leasing and permitting for wind energy projects. A federal judge struck down that order blocking wind energy development. Trump is particularly hostile toward offshore wind, and the administration recently started buying back leases to stop offshore wind development.

ACP wrote to the Pentagon in March to express its concerns over the scope and duration of delays for land-based wind energy projects. In response, Pentagon official Robert Thompson wrote on April 8 that the department is actively working to ensure wind projects’ compatibility with the national security of the United States, that its role in evaluating energy development proposals, particularly wind turbines, is inherently complex and time-consuming and further review will be conducted “as soon as feasible.”

Thompson, the department’s principal deputy assistant secretary for energy, installations and the environment, also said there has been delay due to the government shutdown in the fall.

“The department intends to complete review of all companies’ proposals efficiently without compromising the integrity of the review,” Thompson’s letter states.

A separate letter to a wind energy developer, dated April 9, makes similar points.

Before a wind farm is built, the FAA conducts a regulatory review to determine whether there are any hazards to air navigation, since turbines exceed 200 feet. The FAA works with defense officials to evaluate whether these structures could pose a national security risk or interfere with radar. Wind developers and defense officials frequently negotiate mitigation agreements to address any concerns.

Wind farms are an attractive option for some farmers and ranchers, who earn money by leasing a portion of their land while continuing their agricultural operations. Top states for wind energy voted for Trump in 2024: Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma and Kansas. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris won Illinois, another windy state.

About 50 of the pending projects are in Texas.

Baringa, the global consultancy firm, said their clients are also saying things are stuck, with projects at different parts of the approval journey, and nothing is being signed. Many need to begin construction by a July 4 deadline to qualify for expiring clean energy tax credits, but they cannot do this without these signatures, said Tom Harper, partner at Baringa. And most are at the late stages of development, with considerable time and resources spent on them, he added.

Wind developers first noticed issues last summer when agreements they had already signed to mitigate any potential adverse impacts were not being countersigned by the Pentagon, despite this previously being routine, ACP said.

The situation escalated in recent weeks— the Pentagon stopped issuing new draft mitigation agreements in February even after negotiations had concluded, then in April canceled meetings to work on these agreements, the association said. Last week, even routine processing for projects that did not require mitigation measures stopped, ACP said.

___

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.