Burgum Orders Scale-Back on Solar, Wind Projects, Citing Low Energy Efficiency

A wind farm is roughly 5,500 times less efficient in producing energy than a nuclear plant on a per-acre basis, according to the Department of the Interior.

An aircraft takes off from Los Angeles International Airport behind electric power lines in El Segundo, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2022. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed an order on Aug. 1 to rein in “environmentally damaging” wind and solar power projects and ensure that federal lands are used optimally for energy initiatives.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) is legally required to ensure that land use decisions are “judicious,” the agency said in an Aug. 1 statement. This requirement raises the question of whether allocating federal lands for wind and solar projects is permissible, given their high land requirement and the blockage of other land uses, according to the agency.