Whether you love him or hate him (it seems to be one or the other); whether you agree or disagree with his policies, one thing is clear: when Donald Trump says he’s going to do something, he simply does it. Such was the case on the day of his Inauguration when President Trump made good on his rejection of industrial wind and the economically destructive climate policies of the former administration.
It took the re-election of a battered Republican candidate — and a milestone rejection of the Democratic Party’s climate and energy policies by the American electorate — to stop the years-long assault on rural America, our landscapes, and our wildlife by Big Wind and its many allies.
But yesterday, in a landmark executive order, President Donald Trump ordered that all federal agencies must immediately assess “the environmental impact of onshore and offshore wind projects upon wildlife, including, but not limited to, birds and marine mammals.” For over a decade, Big Wind has dodged and weaved, and denied responsibility for its impact on everything from eagles to North Atlantic Right Whales. It has also repeatedly steamrolled rural communities and coastal communities in its pursuit of federal tax credits. No longer. There’s a new sheriff in Washington, and it’s clear that things are changing.
Robert Bryce, journalist, January 21, 2022; “The Big Reversal“
We couldn’t agree more here at Wind Concerns. The utter disregard for rural communities, acreage owners, ancestral farms and the environment by Big Wind not only echoes the early days of Big Oil but in many ways surpasses it. You can’t compare a pumpjack at the end of a farm quarter to nearly 700 ft turbines towering above entire communities (and all the health and environmental problems associated with them).
When Premier Danielle Smith was elected with a majority government in 2023, it seemed that her administration would likewise act decisively against destructive climate policies, including Big Wind. In fact, they announced a “pause” on approving so-called “clean” energy in the province. It was meant to be an opportunity to review the deluge of potential projects, as Alberta’s open market and few regulations on renewable energy made it enticing to corporations all over the world. 80% of all renewable energy in Canada was being built in Alberta.
Then the Premier rattled the wind industry when she declared:
You cannot build wind turbines the size of the Calgary tower in front of a UNESCO World Heritage site; or on Nose Hill; or in your neighbor’s backyard. We have a duty to protect the natural beauty and communities of our province.
Premier Danielle Smith, Press Conference, February 28, 2024; YouTube
Now, almost a year later, other than a 35km “no-go zone” near part of the mountain ranges, rural Albertans anxiously await to see how the Premier will make good on her declaration. This is an unfolding tragedy, not only for rural communities, but for the province as a whole. Ontarians tell us that vast southern portions of that province are utterly filled with turbines, destroying viewscapes and dropping property values.
The wind industry could care less, completely disregarding community protests and a growing mountain of science and court cases showing their destructive impacts. I was speaking with someone recently whose home here in Alberta was going to be surrounded by 5 such turbines; another resident, Chris Habiak who is part of our Wind Concerns team, was slated to have 4 turbines next to his family home, one within 500 meters (for reasons not entirely clear, that project has been cancelled for the time being). Knowing what a health disaster this was for many Ontarians, and still is to this day, it’s not an understatement to say these families were literally fighting for their lives.
Other residents have told me that hardly a night has gone by that they don’t lie awake thinking about a wind project behind their house. The urgency for the province to protect both “pristine viewscapes” (outside of the mountains) and people’s homes and health cannot be overstated.
But as Albertan’s await their government to take action, Trump acted within hours of taking power. Before the inauguration, Trump flatly stated:
It’s the most expensive energy there is. It’s many, many times more expensive than clean natural gas so we’re going to try and have a policy where no windmills are being built.
President Donald Trump, Reuters, January 8, 2024
Then, less than two weeks later with the stroke of a pen, he simply did it. Just like that. No politicking. No pretending to sound all tree-huggy and environmental. Trump simply called a spade a spade and said “no more.”
They [wind turbines] litter our country, they’re littered all over our country like dropping paper, like dropping garbage in a field … They’re rusting, rotting, closed, falling down … And they put new ones next to them because nobody wants to take them down, because why should they take them down? It’s very expensive to take them down.
President Donald Trump, Reuters, January 8, 2024
Premier Smith doesn’t have the executive power that American presidents have assigned to themselves. But the United Conservative Party does have the power to pass legislation with its majority. It’s not that Smith doesn’t have a backbone. She’s talking tough with Trudeau and going to bat for the province against Trump’s waffling tariffs.
But it’s time for her to make good on her declaration on turbines in people’s backyards and stand strong against the unreliable, divisive, and destructive wind industry on behalf of the people who put her in power. After all, wind turbines are the monuments that her political enemies, Trudeau and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, want to leave behind — most especially in an oil province.
Ms. Premier… grab your ministers, and like Trump, just do the right thing.
Mark Mallett is a former award-winning reporter with CTV Edmonton and an independent researcher and author. His family homesteaded between Vermilion and Cold Lake, Alberta, and now resides in the Lakeland region. Mark is Editor in Chief of Wind Concerns.
well written, thank you