Wind and solar developers are racing toward a July 4 deadline to qualify for federal tax credits that cover 30% or more of their costs. They have to break ground on projects by then or risk losing subsidies under the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
This comes as the Trump administration stifles the growing renewable energy industry, while attempting to revive the declining coal industry.
“Cheap, abundant electricity provided principally by natural gas, coal … nuclear and hydro, those are the ways that are proven,” said Craig Rucker, co-founder and president of CFACT, a Washington, D.C., public policy group.
Rucker recently traveled to the state capitol in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to help organize an anti-wind power rally with about 150 attendees. On June 4, ranchers, advocates and other residents voiced concerns about a “wall of wind,” referencing projects in the southeast corner of the state.
They say wind turbines obscure open vistas on public and private land, and take out golden eagles.
A 2025 study led by New Mexico State University researchers estimates the number of golden eagles colliding with turbine blades to have more than doubled over 11 years. The study finds that mortality counts increased from an estimated 110 deaths in 2013 to 270 in 2024.
But while people like Rucker refer to wind and solar as “environmentally devastating renewables,” clean energy advocates say they are better than relying on fossil fuels that release more carbon into the atmosphere and worsen climate change.
They also argue that an increased focus on fossil fuels could make electricity rates go up, since the country’s power grids now rely on renewables.
In May, solar provided more of the country's energy than coal for the first time ever, says Ember, an energy think tank. Wind has done the same during windy spring months.
The end of federal tax credits could hurt those industries. Since the beginning of the Trump administration, wind and solar projects have each lost millions of dollars in investment, according to a report from the Environmental Defense Fund and Atlas Public Policy.
Companies that miss the July 4 deadline will have one more chance to qualify for tax credits. A federal judge recently made it easier for some projects to qualify, but they still need to be operational by the end of 2027.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
