Iowa-based wind company reacts to President Trump’s order to pause wind development

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – “There is a certain level of nervousness in the market,” Manav Sharma, Nordex North America’s CEO, said.

Nordex is restarting wind turbine production in West Branch this summer.

Sharma said President Donald Trump’s pause on new wind leases and permits has not impacted any of Nordex’s plans yet. But he said it’s already hurting the industry as some companies delay decisions.

“We don’t want to have any knee-jerk reaction,” Sharma said.

Last year, wind energy made up almost 65% of Iowa’s electricity, according to the Iowa Environmental Council.

Last month, President Donald Trump called it “garbage.”

“They’re littered all over our country like dropping paper, like dropping garbage in a field,” President Trump said. “And that’s what happens to them, because in a period of time, they turn to garbage.”

Sharma said his company has reached out to the federal government for clarity on Trump’s order — and said he’s making his case for wind to local lawmakers.

“We are looking at them for their support as we are looking for political certainty because we do believe that that some of this has been highlighted in a negative light for no fair reasons,” Sharma said.

Megan Goldberg, an assistant professor of American politics at Cornell College, said the state might begin to veer towards alternative sources of energy, like nuclear, to power data centers in the state with high energy demands.

“Combined with this executive order, wind might not be an avenue that the state can pursue or that local governments can pursue in order to make sure that we have the electricity that we need,” Goldberg said.

She said there is concern about how much existing wind projects will be protected during Trump’s pause.

“Where the rubber meets the road, Governor Reynolds doesn’t want to lose a bunch of jobs in the state of Iowa that are dependent on wind,” Goldberg said.

Sharma said it’s not just about the jobs — but the indirect jobs wind production creates.

“If the business allows, we can actually triple or quadruple the direct jobs in Iowa,” Sharma said. “Then that creates a few hundred more jobs all across the all across the state.”

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