The Pentagon has effectively frozen the development of new onshore wind farms across the United States by ceasing to complete mandatory national-security reviews, an industry trade group charged on Thursday. The American Clean Power association, known as ACP, said the Department of Defense’s inaction has created a backlog of more than 250 proposed projects totaling at least 30 gigawatts of potential electricity generation — enough to power millions of homes.
The Pentagon evaluates wind energy projects as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulatory review process, examining whether turbines exceeding 200 feet could interfere with military radar or pose other national security risks. Historically, defense officials and developers have negotiated mitigation agreements to address any concerns, and the Pentagon countersigned those agreements as a matter of routine. ACP said that process has now broken down entirely.
“Things are stuck,” said Tom Harper, a partner at the global consultancy Baringa, noting that projects at various stages of approval have all ground to a halt. He said many developers need to begin construction by a July 4 deadline to qualify for expiring clean energy tax credits but cannot do so without the Pentagon’s sign-off. Most of the stalled projects are in the late stages of development, with considerable time and money already invested.
ACP Chief Executive Jason Grumet called the halt a “de facto moratorium” on new land-based wind energy development. He said there has never been a backlog of comparable size in the history of the interagency review process, nor a near-systemwide failure to return evaluated projects to the FAA.
In a statement on Thursday, the Pentagon said its siting clearinghouse is actively evaluating land-based wind energy projects “in accordance with statutory and regulatory requirements” and described the work as involving complex, time-consuming interagency coordination. Robert Thompson, the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and the environment, wrote to ACP on April 8 that the department’s role is “inherently complex and time-consuming” and acknowledged a delay caused by the fall 2025 government shutdown. A separate April 9 letter to a wind developer made similar points.
“The department intends to complete review of all companies’ proposals efficiently without compromising the integrity of the review,” Thompson’s letter stated.
ACP described a pattern of escalating inaction. Wind developers first noticed issues last summer when previously negotiated mitigation agreements went unsigned by the Pentagon. In February, the department stopped issuing new draft mitigation agreements even after negotiations had concluded. In April, it canceled scheduled meetings to finalize those agreements. Last week, the association said, even routine processing for projects that did not require mitigation measures stopped.
The stalled projects are spread across more than 30 states, with roughly 50 located in Texas alone. Many of the most productive wind-energy states — Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Kansas — voted for President Donald Trump in 2024.
Trump has frequently expressed hostility toward wind power, calling turbines ugly and, upon returning to the White House, ordering a temporary halt to leasing and permitting for wind energy projects. A federal judge later struck down that order, which had blocked wind energy development. The Trump administration is particularly opposed to offshore wind and recently began buying back leases to stop development in federal waters. ACP’s Grumet has publicly linked the Pentagon’s backlog to the administration’s broader posture, though the Pentagon’s official statements attribute the delays to procedural complexity.