Since January, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has led a comprehensive review of wind projects across the U.S., including those already approved. The Interior Department has halted or slowed projects, required new high-level reviews, and even canceled the Lava Ridge Wind Project in Idaho. The administration has also instructed the Fish and Wildlife Service to investigate eagle deaths linked to turbines — a law rarely applied as strictly to oil and gas operations despite their higher bird mortality.

The crackdown extends beyond Interior. The Department of Transportation recently recommended siting wind farms more than 1.2 miles from federal highways and railways, while the FAA has been told to intensify scrutiny of proposed turbines. On Aug. 1, Burgum issued an order prioritizing fossil fuels over "environmentally damaging wind and solar" on federal lands — a move experts say could amount to a de facto ban.

Congress has piled on with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which slashes renewable energy tax incentives. The combined effect is rattling the industry: shares in offshore wind leader Ørsted plunged after the company announced a multibillion-dollar fundraising plan to offset losses tied to these policy changes. States like Massachusetts are delaying offshore wind procurements, and some fishing groups working with wind farms are facing project uncertainty.

While some Republicans from wind-rich states have joined Democrats in opposing the measures, industry leaders warn the damage may already be done. "It's just putting more barriers in place to move these projects forward," said John Hensley of the American Clean Power Association.

Analysts say that even if future administrations reverse course, the current regulatory environment has injected significant risk into wind investment decisions, potentially reshaping the U.S. energy mix for years.