Some of the best US spots for renewable energy projects are banning them

Clean energy projects across America are being banned faster than they’re being built, according to a new nationwide analysis from USA Today.

The deets: While more than 180 US counties have built their first wind power project over the last decade, nearly twice as many counties have blocked wind development. And for every US county that built its first solar project over that period, a separate county also blocked solar development.

Why it’s happening: County officials cite a range of objections to clean energy projects, including the loss of prime farmland, devaluation of surrounding property values, and destruction of their local rural setting.

• Overall, at least 15% of all US counties have effectively halted new utility-scale projects for wind power, solar power, or both. And while that may seem like a relatively low number, experts say the trend has affected the most highly productive sources of wind and solar power in America.

👀 Looking ahead… The US is currently projected to get 12% of its electricity supply from wind power and 7% from solar power by 2025, with the combined total outpacing electricity generated from coal for the first time.

But *Matthew McConaughey voice* those rookie numbers have to be pumped up to reach the Biden administration’s climate goals. In order to generate 100% clean energy by 2035 (the goal), wind and solar power would have to provide a combined 60%-80% of all US electricity, experts say.