The Pentagon has stalled the development of numerous onshore wind projects across the U.S. by failing to complete national-security reviews.
These delays threaten the expansion of renewable energy infrastructure on private lands. The hold-up prevents developers from securing necessary approvals to move forward with construction, creating a bottleneck in the transition to clean power.
Industry representatives report that the Department of Defense has effectively frozen the approval process. A spokesperson for the American Clean Power industry association said, "The Pentagon has stopped sending any projects back to the FAA, grinding the process to a halt" [1].
Reports on the scale of the disruption vary. Some estimates suggest more than 250 new onshore wind farms are stalled [1]. Other reports place the number at more than 150 projects [2], while specific counts list 165 blocked projects [3]. Some sources indicate a smaller scale of more than two dozen delayed farms [4].
National-security reviews are a standard requirement for such projects to ensure they do not interfere with military operations or radar systems. However, the current delays are described as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to block wind power development [2, 3].
These reviews are critical for the Federal Aviation Administration to issue final permits. Without the Pentagon's sign-off, the FAA cannot authorize the height or placement of turbines, a requirement that is now acting as a barrier for developers nationwide.
“"The Pentagon has stopped sending any projects back to the FAA, grinding the process to a halt,"”
The use of national-security reviews as a regulatory hurdle suggests a strategic shift in how the federal government manages energy infrastructure. By leveraging the Pentagon's oversight of airspace and radar, the administration can effectively veto renewable energy projects without needing to change legislation, potentially slowing the U.S. pace of decarbonization.
