Overview

• On August 6, the Department of the Interior formally rescinded the Bureau of Land Management’s December 2024 approval of the 1,000-megawatt Lava Ridge Wind Project in southern Idaho.
• Officials cited “crucial legal deficiencies” and ignored statutory criteria as grounds for terminating what would have been a 231-turbine wind farm spanning nearly 57,447 acres.
• The project had drawn unanimous opposition from Idaho’s governor and legislature, along with concerns from the state attorney general over potential hazards to low-flying aircraft.
• With the permit revoked, the affected public lands are now available for alternative energy or infrastructure developments, including possible small modular nuclear reactors.
• The cancellation aligns with President Trump’s broader agenda to increase scrutiny of wind and solar proposals on federal lands and curb renewable energy subsidies.