The Trump administration’s efforts to halt the once-booming wind industry have left workers and executives extremely concerned.
On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump, who has long been at odds with wind turbines, moved quickly to crack down on wind. In addition to ordering a review of current leases, he halted government licenses and leasing for wind projects both onshore and offshore.
The business has been clouded by Trump’s targeted attack on wind and the ambiguity surrounding important tax benefits. Workers are afraid of what lies ahead, developers have taken billions in writedowns, and projects have been cancelled.
In a telephone interview with CNN, Joe Zimsen, a quality inspector on contract with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, said, “It’s annoying. It feels like the rug can be pulled out from under our feet at basically any moment.”
Zimsen has spent ten years working in wind energy and is a member of the Green Workers Alliance, which organises more than 1,500 workers in the clean energy sector.
The president has a grudge against Wind. “The industry is being singled out,” Zimsen stated.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
In response to questions from executives and workers in the wind business, J. Elizabeth Peace, a spokesman for the Interior Department, told CNN in a statement that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Interior Department are temporarily suspending offshore wind leasing in accordance with Trump’s proclamation.
At a presentation on Monday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told reporters, “Wind has been singled out because it’s had a singularly poor record of driving up prices and getting increasing citizen outrage in the impacts, whether you’re in a farm or a coastal community.
“Wind contributes less than 2% of the world’s energy, and its largest effect has been an increase in electricity prices.”
