Horsford, Nevada Dems Raise Alarm as Trump Admin Stalls Development of Solar Energy Critical to the Silver State

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) today was joined by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01) and Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) in a letter sent to U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum raising concerns about a recent memo he issued entitled, “Departmental Review Procedures for Decisions, Actions, Consultations, and Other Undertakings Related to Wind and Solar Energy Facilities”.

The memo states:

“[A]ll decisions, actions, consultations, and other undertakings…related to wind and solar energy facilities shall require submission to the Office of the Executive Secretariat and Regulatory Affairs, subsequent review by the Office of the Deputy Secretary, and final review by the Office of the Secretary”.

Horsford’s letter emphasizes how increased scrutiny for only certain renewable energy sources puts the stability of the energy grid at risk and raises utility rates in states that rely on solar power, like Nevada.

The lawmakers released the following statements:

“Nevadans deserve better than an administration that talks about government efficiency while building roadblocks for energy sources that are low-cost and easy to deploy,” Rep. Horsford said. “Secretary Bergum’s memo weaponizes the federal bureaucracy to hand pick winners and losers in energy production at a time when our competitors are passing us by with an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach. Not only does this set our country back – it costs Nevadans jobs, raises our energy bills, risks our grid reliability, and keeps us tethered to more expensive energy sources of the past.”

Secretary Burgum’s memo came at a time when residential electricity rates have spiked across the United States – more than 30 percent on average since 2020 and almost double the rate of inflation in the past year.

“America needs clean energy in addition to traditional energy sources in order to keep up with rising energy demand,” Senator Cortez Masto said. “The Trump Administration’s recent efforts to restrict and delay solar and wind projects are causing confusion and uncertainty. If the Administration doesn’t reverse course, this will lead to rising energy prices, job losses, and will deal a massive blow to Nevada’s economy.”

Key excerpts from Horsford’s letter to Secretary Burgum:

“We are concerned this memo is meant to intentionally hinder the deployment of renewable energy projects on our public lands, and we question its necessity, especially considering this memo only applies to wind and solar energy facilities rather than all forms of energy production. We are also concerned the impacts of this memo extend beyond federal lands to any private project that requires approvals at the federal level, such as for transmission right-of-way permits, thus placing even more projects potentially at risk of either being delayed or cancelled altogether.”

…

 “[B]y adding new permitting hurdles, the Department risks choking this progress and ceding global energy dominance to China, whose ‘all of the above’ strategy has allowed their economy to grow rapidly. By the end of 2024, China added 277 gigawatts of solar, 79 gigawatts of wind, and 40 gigawatts of energy storage compared to roughly 60 gigawatts total across all energy generation types in the United States.  For the United States to achieve true domestic energy dominance, we must embrace this all-of-the-above strategy that prioritizes both energy security and innovation.”

The Trump administration has made sweeping changes to U.S. investments and energy priorities to favor fossil fuels and undermine renewable projects:

• Since taking office, Trump has ended or delayed 80,500 clean energy jobs.
• Since May 2025, the administration has ended $24 billion for energy projects.
• Since the beginning of the Republican-led government shutdown, they have announced the cancellation of nearly $8 billion in clean energy investments that would have benefitted states that did not vote for Trump.

Rep. Horsford is a prominent voice advocating for lower energy costs. On September 12, he co-led a letter with all Congressional Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee to the Internal Revenue Service demanding the agency publicly affirm that critical energy tax credits remain available despite a Republican effort to end them as part of their “Big Beautiful” law.

Full text of Rep. Horsford’s letter sent today to Secretary Burgum is available here.

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