Latest news with #LavaRidgeWindProject
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump blames wind power for 'driving the whales a little bit loco' — paused new developments
President Donald Trump is not a fan of wind energy, in part because he believes it's having an adverse effect on the whales. 'You know, in one area, they lost two whales, like, in 20 years washed ashore,' the president told reporters at the White House recently, 'This year they had 17 wash ashore. So, there's something [that] happened out there. There's something driving the whales a little bit loco.' While many scientists dispute this claim, the fact is that the president is taking action to slow or even stop the development of this energy source. I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Here are 3 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Specifically, he has temporarily halted the new leasing of federal waters for offshore wind projects. He has also directed federal agencies to pause permits and approvals of on- and off-shore wind development, including the already approved Lava Ridge Wind Project in Idaho. Unfortunately, this will impact American jobs, as the offshore wind sector was expected to employ 56,000 more people by 2030, according to a report by American Clean Power. It could also affect both the reliability and cost of electricity. Research has shown that producing wind power can be a very cost-effective way of providing power. Texans, for example, are saving as much as $20 million per day thanks to wind and solar energy, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute. With the development of wind power paused, the result could be higher energy bills. Consumers should start preparing for this possibility by taking a few key steps to help keep their utility costs down. Here are three options. There are many upgrades you can make to your home that can help reduce the amount of electricity you use and, in turn, help keep your costs down. One of the best options is upgrading to energy-efficient appliances. According to Energy Star, if you choose certified appliances, you can save around $8,750 on utility bills over the life of the product, reducing the cost of running the appliance by around 30%. While the U.S. Department of Energy suggests that you can save around 10% on your utility bill by adjusting your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees for 8 hours each day. Programmable thermostats can make this process automatic, which makes saving money even easier. Other upgrades could include energy-efficient windows, adding more insulation to your home and using power strips to shut off the electricity to electronics and appliances, avoiding phantom power loss when you aren't using them. All of these steps can help you spend less on powering your home — even if you have no choice but to rely on fossil fuel energy. Read more: Trump warns his tariffs will spark a 'disturbance' in America — use this 1 dead-simple move to help shockproof your retirement plans ASAP Installing solar panels at home can be a great investment. reports that the payback time for most homeowners is less than 10 years. There are both state and federal incentives for installing solar power in many parts of the country, and you may be able to finance your system through a personal loan. You could also enter into a power purchase agreement, which means you wouldn't own the panels but would benefit from the clean power produced and still enjoy lower utility bills. The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency can help you find programs in your area, and the Residential Clean Energy Credit, in effect through 2032, provides a tax credit equal to 30% of the cost of installation, which can be a big savings. In many parts of the country, you can also shop around for an electricity provider. Around 45 million consumers benefit from retail energy choice, and you can find out if you are one of them by visiting the website of your state's utility commission. If you live in a deregulated market and have the choice of who provides your electricity, you should compare options to see which company will charge you the least for the power you use. Many companies lock in your rate only for a limited period, so you may have to do this a few times a year — but you can realize potentially significant savings. Taking these steps could help you avoid increased electricity costs that you may be faced with if a shift towards alternative energy is held up at the federal level. Regardless, it can be worth finding ways to cut your utility bills, especially if you can invest a little bit up front and enjoy reduced costs for years to come. Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Cost-of-living in America is still out of control — and prices could keep climbing. Use these 3 'real assets' to protect your wealth today, no matter what Trump does This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Trump Breaking the Wind Industry?
The Biden administration wanted to paint America's skies with spinning blades, but Trump has once again sent the wind industry into a tizzy. On Trump's first day back in office, he took an axe to federal wind policies, pausing leasing and permitting for new projects and leaving developers in limbo. Offshore and onshore wind giants—Shell, TotalEnergies, and Orsted among them, according to the WSJ—are suddenly staring at billion-dollar write-downs and wondering if their investments just got sucked into a policy tornado. 'We aren't going to do the wind thing,' Trump declared at a rally earlier this year, dismissing turbines as 'big ugly windmills' that 'ruin your neighborhood.' Love him or hate him, the man is consistent. The Permitting Freeze and Its Fallout The immediate fallout is a regulatory standstill. The Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Bureau of Land Management are all reassessing their roles in permitting. The Lava Ridge Wind Project in Idaho was specifically called out in Trump's executive order, at the urging of Senator Jim Risch, who praised the decision, saying, 'He gets it. It's not a hard lift because he shares my reticence about windmills.'Wind developers are now playing a high-stakes waiting game. It's not just about missing out on tax credits from Biden's 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (which Trump has labeled a 'scam'), but about the industry's ability to plan for the long term. David Hindman of AlixPartners summed up the uncertainty: 'All parties—developers, financers, others—are going to want to have more certainty than we have now.' And certainty is in short supply. The Trump Doctrine: Fossil Fuels First Trump isn't just hitting pause on wind—he's fast-tracking fossil fuels. His first move? Withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. Again. 'I'm immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris climate accord rip-off,' he announced. His second move? Reversing Biden's restrictions on offshore oil and gas drilling. Trump's philosophy is simple: More drilling, more exports, and energy dominance. 'America will be a manufacturing nation once again, and we have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have: the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth.' Hyperbole aside (according to Rystad, OPEC members held 40% of the world's total recoverable oil reserves at 657 billion barrels, with Saudi Arabia holding the top spot at 247 billion barrels, with the United States holding the next recoverable--not proven--oil reserves powerhouse with 156 billion barrels), his administration has promised to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, drive energy prices down, and boost U.S. exports—while giving wind and solar the cold shoulder. But will the energy industry play ball? Oil producers have already signaled that they appreciate the friendlier regulatory environment but are unlikely to jump back into 'drill, baby, drill' mode with both feet unless market conditions demand it. Trump can clear bureaucratic hurdles, but he can't force private companies to flood the market with oil. A Wind Industry Already Facing Headwinds To be fair, the wind industry was already struggling before Trump slammed on the brakes. Rising costs, supply chain snags, and high interest rates had already put projects on shaky ground. Offshore wind, in particular, has been an expensive experiment in patience. Germany's biggest utility, RWE, recently pointed out that offshore wind costs 30% more in the U.S. than in Europe. And with interest rates still biting, investors are less eager to pour money into projects with long payback periods. Biden had ambitious offshore wind goals—up to 12 lease auctions by 2028, with a vision for a zero-emission grid by 2035. But even with tax credits and federal backing, developers were canceling projects left and right due to cost overruns. Now, with Trump freezing federal support, those cancellations might turn into an industry-wide exodus. Is This the End of U.S. Wind? Even if Trump guts federal incentives, wind energy still has traction at the state level. Texas and Iowa, both deeply red states, have quietly become wind powerhouses thanks to favorable economics. And while offshore wind may take a hit, onshore wind and solar could keep growing—especially if power companies continue to push for renewables as a hedge against fossil fuel volatility. For now, though, the industry is stuck in purgatory. No new federal leases, no permitting clarity, and the looming threat of tax credit rollbacks mean developers are going to tread cautiously. Trump has made his stance clear: Fossil fuels are king, and wind is an eyesore. His permitting freeze has left the U.S. wind industry in a state of paralysis, and unless states pick up the slack, new projects are in danger of grinding to a halt. Meanwhile, oil and gas are back in the driver's seat—at least for now. Whether this is a long-term death blow for U.S. wind or just another political speed bump will depend on what happens in the courts, on Wall Street, and—of course—at the ballot box in 2028. By Julianne Geiger for More Top Reads From this article on
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Whitman County imposes wind energy moratorium as developer plans a 45-turbine project near Kamiak Butte
Feb. 5—PULLMAN — The developer behind a wind farm project near Colfax says it has enough leases from landowners to move forward with 45 turbines, but plans to work with Whitman County as it writes new wind energy rules at the urging of upset neighbors. Harvest Hills Wind project has faced significant outcry for its proximity to Kamiak Butte, a county park and National Natural Landmark. Opponents say it will ruin the landscape. The county commission was about to vote on a cost reimbursement agreement with Harvest Hills early last month when instead, amid public pushback, the commission implemented a six-month moratorium to update the county ordinance. Harvest Hills' 45 turbines would each be approximately 600 to 650 feet tall, lead developer Shane Roche said. The configuration of each turbine has not been determined, but the project covers an area of private Palouse farmland between the towns of Colfax and Palouse, south of Palouse River and north and west of Kamiak Butte. While the project has enough leases to put up the turbines, it is not too late for interested landowners to join, Roche said. Steelhead Americas, the North American development arm of Vestas, the world's largest wind turbine manufacturer, is developing the project. The turbine components are manufactured at Steelhead's plant in Denver. Steelhead plans to sell the project but will continue to service it. Because the project is on private land and developed by private investors, it is not affected by President Donald Trump's executive order halting offshore wind and projects on federal land. That order stopped the Lava Ridge Wind Project near Twin Falls, Idaho, which some groups opposed for being near a historic site where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. Roche noted that Trump also declared a national energy emergency in another order on his first day in office. "We believe we are part of that solution," Roche said. Wind is a quick and affordable way to meet growing demand, he said. Harvest Hills is farther along than other projects in Eastern Washington and will be able to plug into the grid sooner, Roche said. Once construction begins, it is expected to finish in about a year. Other companies are exploring wind projects in southern Spokane County, Lincoln County and Garfield County. For comparison, Palouse Wind is an existing 105-megawatt facility that opened in 2012 in northern Whitman County with 58 turbines that are 426 feet tall. Vestas did not develop this project, but it used Vestas turbines. Palouse Wind sells its power to Avista Utilities. Roche said Harvest Hills' turbines would be about 30% larger and require three times more spacing. The larger, more powerful turbines would generate 200 megawatts. Roche said the moratorium gives Steelhead more time to work on the design phase. The company is focused on working with the county to develop the project while respecting property rights and benefiting the entire community, he said. Despite pressure from residents to stop the project entirely, the county has to walk a fine line while writing a stricter ordinance. Wind companies can choose to forgo the county permitting process and obtain a permit through the state's Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council or the Department of Ecology. "I think it is better to have a county code and run under it rather than the state," County Commissioner Art Swannack said at a public hearing Monday in Colfax. "I still think the state will run over the top of us if the code does not follow what the courts say." About three dozen people spoke at the hearing meant for the county to gather input on the ordinance. Most opposed the development, and many asked for greater setback requirements not only from residences, but also from property lines. Several homeowners complained that the county's zoning rules for building homes are extremely strict, yet the same rules would not apply to wind turbines, which are visually more intrusive. Others asked the county to make a special industrial zone for wind projects, rather than allow them under general agricultural zoning. The commissioners said they want to focus on updating decommissioning provisions. "The planning commission is going to have to work on this, and I expect it won't be quick," Swannack said. Harvest Hills hosted a moderated information session at Washington State University in Pullman on Tuesday where a panel of consultants discussed the project's economic, environmental and visual impacts. Terry Wirkkala, senior project manager at ECOnorthwest, who studied the expected economic impacts of the project, said that it was expected to spend $158 million locally. The construction phase would involve 150 jobs, while the operational phase would employ five workers. The project would generate an estimated $1.3 million a year in property tax for the county, Wirkkala said. James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
