Trump's executive orders may hinder electric vehicles and wind power expansion

Chethana Janith, Jadetimes Staff

C. Janith is a Jadetimes news reporter covering science and geopolitics.

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Advocates strongly criticized the orders, which target two of the fastest-growing climate technologies in the U.S.

Wind turbines near Palm Springs. Image Source: (David McNew/Getty)

• Two of President Donald Trump’s executive orders take aim at Biden administration efforts to boost electric vehicles and wind power.

• Both are among the fastest-growing climate technologies in the U.S., but the orders could stymie that growth.

• Advocates for electric vehicles and green energy criticized the moves.

With two executive orders, former President Donald Trump has redirected the course of two rapidly advancing clean energy technologies in the U.S.: electric vehicles (EVs) and wind power.

These orders targeted policies implemented by the Biden administration to promote the adoption of these technologies, which have been key to reducing carbon emissions in the U.S. energy market. Additionally, Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, a global pact aimed at limiting carbon emissions and combating climate change.

One of the executive orders rolled back several climate-focused policies, including emissions standards designed to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. Trump criticized these standards during his campaign, labeling them as burdensome regulations that forced consumers to opt for costly EVs.

Critics of the rollback, including EV advocates, warned that it could undermine the country’s competitive edge in the global automobile market.

“We lose valuable opportunities with such actions,” said Max Boykoff, director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado Boulder. “Other nations, particularly China, are stepping up and leading in the electric vehicle sector. This decision allows them to widen the gap further.”

In a separate executive order, Trump temporarily suspended federal approvals for offshore wind lease sales and imposed restrictions on new permits or loans for onshore and offshore wind projects. He claimed that wind power increases energy costs and suggested, without evidence, that wind turbines harm marine life, including whales. However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has found no evidence linking offshore wind turbines to whale fatalities.

The move faced strong criticism from advocates of wind power. Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, highlighted the conflicting nature of the administration’s energy policy.

“While the administration aims to reduce bureaucracy and boost energy production, these restrictions create barriers to domestic energy development, which harms American businesses and workers,” Grumet stated.

The orders come at a time when both electric vehicles and wind power are experiencing significant growth. Electric and hybrid vehicles accounted for a record 20% of new car sales in the U.S. last year, and a recent analysis projects that over 25% of global new passenger car sales by 2030 will be electric. Since 2018, electric car sales have increased sixfold, according to the International Energy Agency.

When it comes to wind power, the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicted in 2023 that solar and wind would make up most of the nation’s new energy capacity by 2050. In March and April, offshore wind power generated more electricity in the U.S. than coal. At the same time, though, rising commodity costs and supply chain issues, among other macroeconomic trends, have threatened the rise of wind power, according to the consulting firm McKinsey.

Wind power - especially large turbines - has long been a target for Trump. He has repeatedly blamed offshore wind projects for an uptick in whale deaths along the Atlantic coast, though most of the documented whale mortalities were attributed to vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing equipment. Trump has also suggested that noise from wind turbines can cause cancer, though there is no evidence of such a link, and that wind turbines kill birds. That last claim is correct, though some research suggests birds are more likely to die from building strikes and power lines.

Climate groups including the Environmental Defense Fund and Sierra Club said the changes mandated in Trump’s executive orders threaten the growth of green jobs, including in red states like Georgia.

“It’s a short-term political choice with potential long-term economic harm,” said Zara Ahmed, vice president of policy and advisory operations at Carbon Direct, a carbon management firm, referring to the executive order on electric vehicles.

Ahmed added that Trump’s regulations would not “stop the inevitable march of the clean tech transition.”

In yet another executive order issued Monday, Trump sought to end certain states’ abilities to set their own standards for electric vehicle adoption.

The order targets a federal waiver that the Biden administration granted to California, which allowed the state to set more stringent tailpipe pollution standards than the federal limits. California’s regulation would essentially ban new gasoline-powered cars from its roads by 2032. Washington, New York and nine other states have adopted the California standard.

Paul Cort, a former Environmental Protection Agency attorney who now works with the environmental nonprofit Earthjustice, said he expects Trump’s order to be fought in court and does not believe it will hold up to legal challenges.

“California’s regulations are not just about addressing climate change. These rules were created so that California, which struggles with pollution issues, could meet its air quality and smog standards,” Cort said. “What’s their legal standing for saying California can’t clean up its cars?”