The Trump administration has approved wind projects in Maine and South Dakota in an attempt to ease resistance among Senate Democrats to advancing a bipartisan permitting reform bill that could prove essential to President Donald Trump’s ambitions for energy and artificial intelligence.
A White House official confirmed to the Washington Examiner on Thursday morning that the Department of War had cleared its “first tranche of wind projects” that were still under review. The administration’s efforts to stall wind projects had led key Democratic negotiators to withhold support for the infrastructure bill.
“The Trump administration is removing all barriers clearing the way for the Senate’s permitting reform bill to pass,” the official said.
The projects in Maine and South Dakota were advanced earlier Thursday after officials determined that they pose no national security concerns.
“More are expected in the coming days/weeks after all the proper reviews have been completed,” the White House official continued, adding that the Pentagon will be evaluating each wind project on a “case-by-case basis.”
The Pentagon has come under fire over the last few months for stalling military reviews of proposed onshore wind farms since April. These reviews have long been considered routine and are conducted to determine that new turbines do not interfere with military operations, local radar, or flight paths.
In August, a federal judge ruled in favor of a group of renewable energy groups that claimed the department was unlawfully delaying dozens of wind projects, costing states $47 billion by freezing its review of onshore wind projects.
While still court-ordered, advancing the Maine and South Dakota projects could be viewed as a sign of good faith for Democrats worried about whether the administration will fairly implement permitting reform not just for fossil fuel projects favored by the president but also for renewable energy projects.
Earlier in the week, key negotiator Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-NY) indicated that the administration could be threatening the legislative deal struck last month, as the Department of Justice sought to remand permits of several offshore wind farms.
“This is how you blow up a permitting deal,” he told Politico.
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Despite concerns from Democrats, the Trump administration has continued to support the bipartisan permitting deal publicly, with a White House official saying there is “NOTHING left to do but vote.”
“The Administration has done EVERTHING it has promised to do,” the official added. “If this deal does not pass, it is ENTIRELY on the Democrats own internal fights and finger-pointing.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
