Topline
President Donald Trump blasted green tax breaks and windmills in a rant about his signature budget package moving through Congress, tacking onto his longstanding criticism of the turbines even as they have become an increasingly cost-effective form of energy.
US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in … More
Key Facts
Trump said in a Truth Social post he “HATED” green tax credits in the “Big Beautiful Bill,” saying the cuts are largely a “giant SCAM.”
The bill, a massive measure currently in the Senate that will extend tax cuts passed by Trump during his first term, will remove or limit tax credits for electric vehicles and home energy efficiency if passed, as well as create gradual, year-by-year cuts to wind and solar farm tax credits.
Trump said windmills “are the most expensive and inefficient energy in the world” and are “destroying the beauty of the environment.”
The president also claimed, without evidence, windmills are “10 times more costly than any other energy,” taking issue with government subsidies linked to turbines.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
What Has Trump Said About Windmills ?
Shortly after taking office, the president said the government would not subsidize new windmill farms and added he doesn’t “want even one built” during his second term. Trump called wind turbines the “most expensive energy” that only works “with massive government subsidies, which we will no longer pay.” Trump could potentially impact windmill production on federal lands, but not on privately owned plots. Trump has also falsely claimed windmills kill whales, though there is no evidence supporting the claim about the mammals and offshore turbines.
Are Windmills The Most Expensive Form Of Energy Production?
Not likely. The Department of Energy has said “wind and solar projects are now more economically competitive than gas, geothermal, coal, or nuclear facilities,” though windmills in locations lacking wind could be an exception. Onshore wind turbines saw global costs of energy production fall by 68% in 2021, according to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency, which noted onshore capacity increased four-fold from 2010 to 2021. The agency also reported onshore wind project costs fell by 13% while offshore wind projects fell by 9% in 2020.
Key Background
Trump once lost a legal battle in which he sought to block the construction of an offshore wind farm in view of a golf course project of his in Scotland. The president lost in court and was required to pay over $290,000 in legal fees to the Scottish government. His scrutiny of windmills is a change from his first term, when former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he was “very bullish on offshore wind,” adding the harnessing of the energy source was “a big part of the Trump Administration’s made in America energy strategy.”
Further Reading
Trump’s Tax Cuts Would Raise Deficit By $2.8 Trillion, New Estimate Suggests (Forbes)
Trump Calls Windmills ‘An Economic And Environmental Disaster’ In Latest Rant Against Turbines (Forbes)
Read the full article here