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The Department of Defense has stalled 165 onshore wind projects, including 54 in Texas, according to data reported by the American Clean Power Association.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Delcia Lopez\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
Dozens of Texas wind projects are at a standstill as they wait for the Department of Defense<\/a> to sign off on the federal permits needed for them to move forward.<\/p>\n The Lone Star State has 54 wind projects that are stalled as part of a larger, nationwide delay of 165 onshore wind projects, according to data reported by the American Clean Power Association<\/a>. The projects are on pause as the DOD reviews them, a process done to ensure turbines don\u2019t hinder military operations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But energy experts like Environment Texas<\/a> Executive Director Luke Metzger<\/a> see the lag in approved wind projects, which was first reported by the Financial Times<\/a>, as the next move in the Trump administration\u2019s war on renewables.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to see this as anything other than an effort to slow or stop wind power regardless of the consequences for consumers, the environment and grid reliability,\u201d Metzger said.<\/p>\n The permitting process requires any structure 200 feet or higher to be evaluated by the\u00a0Federal Aviation Administration<\/a>, followed by the military, which has to ensure that a project would not affect military airspace. This process is exemplified in Texas, which leads the nation with the most wind projects<\/a> and also has a sizable military presence, particularly in San Antonio.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Antonio Express News Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0New tax credit rules called the \u2018perfect checkmate\u2019 against renewable energy<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The DOD has 60 days to oversee the review, which has to happen before the Federal Aviation Administration can issue its final determination. But the department hasn\u2019t approved a wind project since August of last year, and in April, the DOD canceled all meetings with wind developers waiting on clearance, the trade association told the Texas Tribune.<\/a><\/p>\n The DOD didn\u2019t immediately reply to a Hearst Newspapers request for comment in time for publication, but in a statement to the Texas Tribune, a department official said it was still evaluating the projects.<\/p>\n The department\u2019s evaluation of wind turbines \u201cis inherently complex and time-consuming because it involves balancing two critical, and sometimes competing, interests: developing energy sources while ensuring military operations and readiness are not degraded or impaired to the extent an unacceptable risk to national security is created,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n But Jason Grumet, CEO of ACP, told the Associated Press<\/a> that there has never been anything remotely comparable to a backlog of this size or a near-systemwide halt in transmittals back to FAA.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In a\u00a02024 report to Congress<\/a>,\u00a0the Department of Energy stated that \u201cthe development and use of radar interference mitigation techniques, and collaboration both among federal agencies and between the federal government and the wind industry have enabled federal radar agencies to continue to perform their missions without significant impacts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The report also noted the significant wind energy deployments throughout the nation, which produced more than 9% of the nation\u2019s electricity in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bailey Rosen, deputy director of communications for the American Clean Power Association, explained that the delay in issuing permits is affecting at least 21 states and a total of $54 billion in capital investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis indefinite pause could put at least 30 gigawatts of wind energy projects at risk,\u201d Rosen said. \u201cNot allowing the U.S. to construct new wind would cost our electricity grid an extra $361 billion over the next 25 years.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n RELATED:\u00a0CPS seeks bids for wind energy, its largest request in more than a decade<\/a><\/p>\n There are about 150,000 potential jobs tied to the projects, Rosen said\u00a0\u2014 40,000 direct positions and 110,000 supporting jobs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that wind turbine service technician positions are expected to be the\u00a0fastest-growing job in the nation<\/a> for a 10-year period spanning 2024-34.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n