Trump officials cancel major solar project in latest hit to renewable energy | Trump administration
The Trump administration’s cancellation of a massive solar project in Nevada that would have been one of the largest in the world shows that the White House plans to attack all renewable energy, not just wind energy.
On Thursday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) changed the status of the Esmeralda 7 project to say the environmental review is “in progress.”canceled”, climate publication Heatmap first reported.
The super project in Southern Nevada is set to cover 185 square miles, an area close to the size of Las Vegas, and include seven solar projects proposed by different companies, including NextEra Energy Resources, Leeward Renewable Energy, Arevia Power and Invenergy. Together, the network of solar panels and batteries is set to produce 6.2 gigawatts of energy, or power nearly 2 million homes.
When asked for comment, the home affairs department appeared to leave open the possibility that at least some parts of the project could be resubmitted for review. “During routine discussions prior to appropriations being cut, proponents and BLM agreed to change their approach for the Esmeralda 7 Solar Project in Nevada. Rather than conducting a programmatic-level environmental analysis, applicants will now have the option to submit individual project proposals to BLM to more effectively analyze potential impacts,” a spokesperson said in an email.
Common suggestions from developers were: allowed Article by Joe Biden. Even when Donald Trump re-entered the White House this year, the process appeared to be quite slow. to go forward When the Bureau of Land Management drafts an environmental impact statement. But the process came to a halt because the BLM did not issue a final environmental impact statement or record of decision for the project.
The Guardian has contacted NextEra Energy Resources, Leeward Renewable Energy, Arevia Power and Invenergy for comment.
Trump signed an executive order on day one directing a pause on new renewable energy mandates for federally owned land and water. Then in February, he appointed Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, a Colorado-based oil industry trade group, to head the Bureau of Land Management, which manages a quarter-billion acres of public land concentrated in western states.
In July, Trump introduced another piece of legislation as part of an attempt to win support for his tax and spending bill. order The order, aimed at halting renewable projects, called on the Interior Department to review its policies affecting wind and solar and gave the interior secretary, Doug Burgum, final decision-making authority on whether such projects should move forward.
The following month, the president said his administration would not approve solar or wind energy projects. “We will not approve of the wind or the farmer destroying the Sun” Posted on Truth Social. “The days of stupidity are over in the USA!!!”
