Interior Department Uses Old Laws to Stall Renewable Energy Projects

The U.S. Department of the Interior is invoking decades-old environmental laws to restrict renewable energy projects on public lands, applying legal tools once designed to constrain fossil fuels. All new wind and solar proposals now face “elevated review” and require direct approval from Secretary Doug Burgum, while some permits have been revoked and offshore wind zones rescinded.

Officials are also introducing criteria such as “capacity density,” which disqualifies projects that generate less energy per acre than oil and gas operations—despite the fundamentally different land impacts of fossil fuels versus renewables.

Critics argue these measures are being deployed in bad faith, slowing clean energy growth while offshore drilling expands and mining regulations are loosened. Fossil fuel extraction has long polluted land, water, and air, leaving lasting damage. By holding renewables to stricter standards, the administration risks undermining climate goals and jeopardizing the ecosystems and public resources it claims to protect.

25-08-2025