The Trump administration has mandated an 'elevated review' for wind and solar projects on federal land, potentially hindering renewable energy progress.
This directive, part of Trump's Energy Dominance agenda, aims to end subsidies for green energy, favoring traditional energy sources.
The move has already led to the cancellation of a major offshore wind project in New York.
In a move that many fear could slow down renewable energy developments across the US, the Trump administration has announced a directive that requires all wind and solar energy facilities being constructed on federal land to undergo an “elevated review” by the Office of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, instead of lower-level agency staff.
According to a statement issued by the Department of the Interior on July 17, 2025, the enhanced oversight will include agency actions related to leases, rights-of-way, construction and operation plans, grants, consultations and biological opinions.
The move follows the signing of an Executive Order by US President Donald Trump earlier this month to eliminate subsidies for ‘green’ energy sources like wind and solar and implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. “In line with President Donald J. Trump’s Energy Dominance agenda, the Department of the Interior is ending preferential treatment for unreliable, subsidy-dependent wind and solar energy,” said the statement.
“Today’s actions further deliver on President Trump’s promise to tackle the Green New Scam and protect the American taxpayers’ dollars,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals Management Adam Suess. “American Energy Dominance is driven by US-based production of reliable baseload energy, not regulatory favoritism towards unreliable energy projects that are solely dependent on taxpayer subsidies and foreign-sourced equipment.”
As part of this effort, the Department will address provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to eliminate longstanding right-of-way and capacity fee discounts for existing and future wind and solar projects, bringing an end to years of subsidies for economically unviable energy development. By removing these artificial advantages, the Department is levelling the playing field for dispatchable, cost-effective and secure energy sources, such as clean coal and domestic natural gas, after years of assault under the previous administration, said the statement.
According to media outlet Splash 24/7, following the directive, New York has cancelled a project that would bring offshore wind power to New York City. In 2023, the New York Public Service Commission decided to construct new power lines to deliver at least 4,770 MW of offshore wind energy to the city by 2033. “We will continue to press forward regarding infrastructure needs for offshore wind in the future once the federal government resumes leasing and permitting for wind energy generation projects,” Rory Christian, chair of New York Public Service Commission, was quoted as saying by Splash 24/7.
The Department of the Interior oversees hundreds of millions of hectares of federally owned land and waters, which is currently home to four per cent of US renewable energy generation, states The Straits Times. That figure was projected to increase to as much as 12.5 per cent by 2035, according to a report by the US Energy Department.