Trump's Permitting Freeze Stalls US Wind and Solar Projects, Threatening Clean Energy Goals

• Hundreds of wind and solar projects across the US face significant delays due to tightened federal oversight under the Trump administration.
• The Jackalope Wind project in Wyoming, backed by NextEra Energy, was scrapped after a stalled environmental review led to contract cancellation, with NextEra now considering natural gas alternatives.
• Developers report that over 60 large wind and solar projects on federal land and hundreds more on private land requiring federal consultations are stuck in extended review processes.
• The administration defends the changes as necessary oversight, arguing previous favorable treatment for renewables and aiming to level the playing field with oil and gas.
• The permitting slowdown threatens tens of thousands of megawatts of solar capacity, pushing some developers to redesign projects or shift capital to natural gas, impacting states with clean energy targets and potentially raising electricity prices.