The US Department of Defense says it's worried about the national security aspects of some wind generation towers in Texas, so it's going to delay the issuing of permits for an unspecified time as it studies the renewable energy operations.
Texas is a leader in both wind and solar power in the United States with more renewable energy installations than almost any other state -- and backup batteries to augment the two are coming along in abundance -- so postponing permits may not seem like a big deal to some people.
And in the past, Lone Star State officials have registered concerns about foreign powers buying land not far from US military bases that could be used for spying.
But with all the people moving to Texas and especially with all the data centers coming up, the delay of any power sources is of concern to many, including Matt Welch of Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation.
"Texas needs every available electron added to our grid," he says.
And it's distressing, he says, to think that the Trump administration seems to be against wind power even as Texas' power grid takes on enormous energy users such as artificial intelligence and local data centers that now seem destined to dot the state, raising the cost of electricity for regular customers.
"Without a doubt this action will cost Texans more money in the form of higher prices," Welch adds.
It's puzzling, he says, partly because Texas has such a strong precedents in the realm of renewable energy, which has been a state tradition since Governor George W. Bush and his successor, Governor Rick Perry, in the 1990s and 2000s -- so why stop the progress now?
The Lone Star State "is the largest wind energy producer, both in wind and solar and soon to be battery storage," he says.
Both the Defense Department and the Texas legislature have been concerned about the placement of wind farms adjacent or close to military bases, especially those with air power components, and there have been concerns in the past over attempts by China to purchase land near military facilities that could be used for surveillance operations.