Having our cake and eating it too seems to be a national pastime these days. On Day 1, buried within the flurry of President Trump’s Executive Orders was a bold declaration of a National Energy Emergency, another boasted of Unleashing American Energy! But confusingly, in that stack of orders is a decidedly less catchy sounding, and contradictory executive order titled, Temporary Withdrawal of all Areas on the Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects. Wtf is up with that?!
What does this have to do with the wind in Scotland?
Over a decade ago, developers were preparing to break waves with the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) on the North Sea Coast of Scotland. But visions of becoming the “wind research centre of Europe” were soon jeopardized by a foreign business mogul who didn’t fancy the aesthetics of the planned offshore wind farm.
I bet you guessed it… that mogul was none other than Donald Trump. And over the next decade lawyers representing our litigious 45th/47th president would fight the Scottish government in a series of grueling and expensive court battles.
After years of waging lawfare against the nation graciously hosting his golf resort, Trump not only lost, but he was unanimously ordered to pay the hefty legal bills incurred by the Scottish government while defending their right to generate energy with their own natural resources.
Ouch! Not only did Trump lose, but he had to pay for the privilege of losing and he gets to see monuments memorializing those losses every time he visits his own resort. But I’m sure that all has nothing to do with his position on offshore wind. After all, a man elected President of the United States must be mature enough, not to mention patriotic enough, to separate his personal animus from decisions on policy as critical to our nation as energy… right?
Dueling Executive Orders
In order to see how these Executive Orders square off, let’s begin with some comparison. Let’s start with Unleashing American Energy. Wow. Inspiring title, right?
"Section 1. Background. America is blessed with an abundance of energy and natural resources that have historically powered our Nation’s economic prosperity. In recent years, burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations have impeded the development of these resources, limited the generation of reliable and affordable electricity, reduced job creation, and inflicted high energy costs upon our citizens. These high energy costs devastate American consumers by driving up the cost of transportation, heating, utilities, farming, and manufacturing, while weakening our national security."
Lofty. That sounds like we’re serious about removing, “burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations” from our energy policy, doesn’t it? Let the meters spin! Now, I wonder what Temporary Withdrawal of all Areas on the Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects has to say on the subject?
"Section 1. Temporary Withdrawal of Areas. Consistent with the principles of responsible public stewardship that are entrusted to this office, with due consideration for a variety of relevant factors, including the need to foster an energy economy capable of meeting the country’s growing demand for reliable energy, the importance of marine life, impacts on ocean currents and wind patterns, effects on energy costs for Americans –- especially those who can least afford it –- and to ensure that the United States is able to maintain a robust fishing industry for future generations and provide low cost energy to its citizens, I hereby ... withdraw from disposition for wind energy leasing all areas within the Offshore Continental Shelf (OCS) ... This withdrawal temporarily prevents consideration of any area in the OCS for any new or renewed wind energy leasing for the purposes of generation of electricity or any other such use derived from the use of wind."
Well that’s curious! This sounds an awful lot like, “burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations” to me. And how about the style points for deviously including principals within this order which are actually in direct conflict with it like, “the need to foster an energy economy capable of meeting the country’s growing demand for reliable energy” and ” effects on energy costs for Americans –- especially those who can least afford it..” In what world does stopping the pipeline of an emerging, abundant energy source help “foster an energy economy capable of meeting the country’s growing demand for reliable energy”? Where in the world of business is it taught that decreasing supply lowers prices, “especially [for] those who can least afford it”? I’m guessing that’s not Wharton’s take.
But let’s not stop there. Maybe he has some good points and I’m just missing it. It looks like Trump cares about the environment. That’s amazing! I actually thought that he didn’t. But he says it right there in the Temporary Withdrawal of all Areas on the Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects Order, “with due consideration.. for the protection of wildlife, impacts on ocean currents and wind patterns … and… to ensure that the United States is able to maintain a robust fishing industry for future generations”.
This is great news! He really does care about the environment after all!
He continues:
"...This withdrawal does not apply to leasing related to any other purposes such as, but not limited to, oil, gas, minerals..."
Oh…
