More than 30 onshore wind farms across the country are stuck in limbo as the Trump administration refuses to process military clearances that developers say should be routine paperwork.
The bottleneck affects roughly 7.5 gigawatts of wind capacity, enough electricity to power multiple large cities or several data centers. Each stalled project generates between 200 and 300 megawatts on average.
The Pentagon must approve wind farms to ensure their turbines won't interfere with military radar or aviation systems. Historically, these reviews move quickly. But unsigned mitigation agreements are now piling up, according to Jason Grumet, president of the American Clean Power Association.
"It is quite astounding that in the midst of this discussion about making the permitting system more efficient, we just have direct obstruction," Grumet said in an interview.
The delays matter because tech companies and the Trump administration both want to build power-hungry data centers for the artificial intelligence race. Those facilities need massive amounts of reliable electricity. Wind farms provide that capacity at competitive costs, making them essential infrastructure for the industry's expansion.
The Bigger Picture
Trump has never hidden his contempt for wind energy. "My goal is to not let any windmill be built," he declared at a White House meeting earlier this year. "They're losers."
The administration has moved aggressively to slow renewable energy development through lease revocations and permit stalls across federal agencies. In lawsuits challenging efforts to block offshore wind, the administration claimed national security risks. Grumet suspects the Pentagon delays represent an attempt to extend those same arguments to land-based turbines, despite no evidence supporting such concerns.
The American Clean Power Association sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of Defense Dale Marks requesting an explanation for the delays and hints it could sue under federal administrative law if it doesn't receive a response by April 8.
The Pentagon and White House declined to comment.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgess offered a curious defense of his shifting position on wind energy. As North Dakota governor, he oversaw wind power growth. Now, he argues onshore wind is safe because "North Dakota is not an attack vector" and its central location means no concerns about drone or submarine attacks.
That rationale didn't stop the Interior Department from brokering an unusual deal last week with TotalEnergies to cancel $1 billion in offshore wind leases and redirect that money toward oil and gas projects.
Senator Martin Heinrich, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy Committee, criticized the delays as counterproductive. "If he was serious about lowering energy costs, he should stop stalling permits and start supporting made-in-America clean energy solutions," Heinrich said.
Prospects for congressional permitting reform have dimmed. A consulting firm analyzing legislative odds put the chances at 25 percent this year, down from 30 percent just days earlier.
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