With stroke of pen, despised Lava Ridge energy project is halted

For Idahoans, the inauguration of a new president meant the end of a controversial wind project.

Among the hundreds of executive actions President Donald Trump took on Monday was an executive order that puts a stop to the Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project.

The project would have built hundreds of wind turbines on nearly 100,000 acres of public land. Although not as big as previously proposed, it would have still erected 241 turbines at a height of nearly 660 feet each.

Idaho officials repeatedly said no to the federal plans which were first introduced in 2020, but the Biden Administration still moved forward. At the close of the public comment in April 2023, 11,000 submissions were registered by the Bureau of Land Management, and Magic Valley residents were united against the project citing disregard for local historical sites, economic concerns, environmental impacts, and the low aesthetic appeal.

“I made a promise to Idahoans that I would not rest until the Lava Ridge Wind Project was terminated. On day one, President Donald Trump took action to keep that promise,” Idaho Senator Jim Risch said in a news release.