All wind and solar development decisions and actions now must be personally approved by Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, according to a new Interior order.
Sign-off decisions include leases, rights-of-way, construction and operation plans, grants, consultations and biological opinions. The department said it is ending preferential treatment for “unreliable, subsidy-dependent wind and solar energy.” The move comes following President Donald Trump’s executive order on Ending Market Distorting Subsidies for Unreliable, Foreign-Controlled Energy Sources and the implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Interior also plans to eliminate longstanding right-of-way and capacity fee discounts for existing and future wind and solar projects.
“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,” the Interior said.
