Staff ReportsPresident-elect Donald Trump is once again shaking up the status quo, this time by taking a direct shot at wind turbines and pledging to halt their construction under his administration. While many Democrats frolic around in their green dreams, Trump is standing firm, defending traditional energy sources as both practical and essential.
During a recent Senate inquiry, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who is Trump’s nominee to lead the Interior Department, found himself faced with questions about those federally subsidized wind farms. When asked about ongoing projects, Burgum admitted to not having complete knowledge of every single project but promised to evaluate them. He mentioned that if existing projects were already law, they’d continue, which no doubt sent a few shudders down the spines of green energy advocates.
CLEAR VISION: Former Gov. and Trump's nominee for Secretary of the Interior @DougBurgum explains why dependable coal energy is a national security issue during his confirmation hearing:
"We are in an energy crisis in our country… Electricity is at the brink. Our grid is at the… pic.twitter.com/abpYgupJpM
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 16, 2025
Trump’s disdain for windmills isn’t new. He’s previously called them out as costly and detrimental to the environment. In his latest social media blitz on Truth Social, the former president made it abundantly clear that not a single wind turbine should rise under his watch. He recently backed critics of offshore wind projects, asserting that their construction is making the whales go haywire—a fact that seems to have fallen on deaf ears among environmentalists who either don’t care or simply don’t believe it.
Burgum, while he acknowledged that climate change is a “global phenomenon,” poured cold water on the idea that renewable energy can replace fossil fuels anytime soon. His assessment of battery storage development—at a measly 2% annual improvement—could be construed not just as pragmatic but downright realistic. In his take, the country needs diverse energy solutions now, not some pie-in-the-sky promise of a green utopia twenty years down the line.
Multiple energy sources remain vital to energy security, with Burgum advocating an “all of the above” energy strategy but with a firm nod towards affordability. It seems there’s a growing recognition that while renewable options are in vogue, the ability to keep lights on and homes heated doesn’t exactly run on good intentions alone. Trump’s administration could mark a pivotal trend toward returning to a common-sense approach that champions economic vibrancy over the feel-good policies that have often led to higher costs and empty wallets.
