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President-elect Donald Trump foresees a future without news wind power projects under his administration, arguing that this energy source is economically impractical and is causing harm to marine life.
Trump has long criticized the use of wind farms as the main form of energy production, but his latest comments suggest that his incoming administration could place significant restrictions on the future production of new wind power projects.
“It’s the most expensive energy out there. It’s many times more expensive than clean natural gas,” Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday. “So we’re going to try to have a policy where no windmills are built.”
The federal government currently offers several different ways to obtain subsidies for the production of windmills, which Trump pointed to as one of the main problems with the energy source.
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President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Palm Beach. (Evan Vucci)
“The only people who want them are the people who get rich off windmills, getting massive subsidies from the US government,” he added. “You don’t want energy that needs a subsidy.”
The incoming president has also stated that potential interference with marine mammals is a problem, specifically in Massachusetts.
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“You see what’s happening in the Massachusetts area, where I think two whales came ashore in a 17-year period,” Trump said during the news conference. “Now they had 14 this season. The windmills are driving the whales crazy, obviously.”
Trump finds consensus with some environmental groups on the issue.
“That’s the only thing that’s changed, and it’s changed dramatically,” said Constance Gee of Green Oceans, a group that strives to protect ocean life, according to WCVB 5. “There’s a lot of boat traffic out there. It’s very loud. There’s a low profile with sonar.”
The National Marine Fisheries Service, however, says there is currently no evidence connecting wind turbines and whale deaths.
Wind turbines, from the Block Island Wind Farm, rise above the water on October 14, 2016 off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island. The first offshore wind project in the US has created more than 300 construction jobs and will meet the demand for electricity for the entire island. (Don Emmert)
Trump’s latest comments were criticized by the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, who said the new president is “completely out of touch.”
“Trump is against wind power because he doesn’t understand our country’s energy needs and doesn’t like to see turbines near his private country clubs,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a communicated
Wind power is currently the largest source of renewable energy in the US, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). However, such energy production has received increasing opposition from members of the GOP in recent years, who have expressed concern about its potential adverse effects.
Wind turbines spin to produce electricity on August 20, 2010. (2010 Getty Images)
“Like the canary in the coal mine, the recent spate of tragic whale deaths has shed new light and heightened scrutiny on the fast-tracking of thousands of wind turbines off our coast,” said Representative Chris Smith, RNJ, in March. 2023.
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During the last four years, President Joe Biden has made significant investments in the offshore wind industry as part of its green energy push, approving the country’s first 11 commercial-scale offshore wind projects.
