On this edition of Your Call's One Planet Series, we discuss Trump’s attacks on the wind industry and renewable energy.
The Guardian reports that Trump has jettisoned Republicans’ longstanding “all of the above” approach to energy by using the US government to aggressively stamp out clean energy projects – particularly offshore wind turbines.
The scale of the intervention is remarkable – a total of nine already permitted offshore wind projects that were set to provide electricity to nearly 5m households and create about 9,000 jobs in the US are under investigation or have already been paused by the Trump administration.
Trump has barred any new solar and wind projects from federal land and waters, eliminated incentives for clean energy and, almost uniquely for a US president, called for an entire industry to be stopped in its tracks.
On his first day in office, Trump issued a memorandum halting approvals, permits, leases and loans for both offshore and onshore wind projects.
Guests:
Dharna Noor, reporter at the Guardian US covering fossil fuels and climate
Aidan Hughes, reporter at Inside Climate News covering Congress and the Trump administration
Resources:
Inside Climate News: With Federal Support for Wind and Solar Waning, States Are Trying to Push Policy Through on Their Own
The Guardian: Trump’s hatred for renewables means the US is falling behind the rest of the world
The Guardian: How Trump’s assault on US wind industry threatens jobs and power for nearly 5m homes
The Washington Post: Judge deals Trump’s war on wind its first major setback
