White House proclamation orders trade negotiations over wind turbine imports

President Donald Trump said in an Oct. 22 proclamation that imports of wind turbines constitute a national security threat, but he did not place any tariffs on the industry.

The proclamation stems from a Section 232 probe into wind turbine imports launched by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in August 2025. Following the conclusion of the probe, Trump directed Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to pursue negotiations designed to address the national security issues and report back to the White House in 180 days, according to the proclamation.

The proclamation did not include any new tariffs on wind turbine imports. However, Trump did not rule out applying tariffs in the future.

"That initial plan of action may include negotiations of agreements along with other actions to adjust imports to address the national security threat, including tariffs," the proclamation said.

The proclamation also does not modify existing Section 232 tariffs on imports of aluminum, steel or copper. The US imported about $1.8 billion of wind turbine and component parts in 2024, with top countries of origin including Mexico, France, India, Denmark and Germany, according to the think-tank American Action Forum.

The White House said wind turbines pose cybersecurity risks, impact radar systems and have negative impacts on weather forecasting.

"These circumstances thus pose grave national security risks to the United States, particularly in response to threats (e.g., unauthorized aircraft) targeting sensitive United States critical infrastructure," the proclamation said. "And degraded radar performance from wind turbines can also have negative implications on weather forecasting, air traffic management, and military radar systems."

The White House announcement comes as the Trump administration renews efforts to halt offshore wind development, with the US Department of the Interior, in recent court filings, looking to reconsider several key permits for offshore wind projects on the Atlantic Coast.

The administration has also cited national security justifications, such as radar clutter, in its moves to halt offshore wind development.

Some experts have pushed back against the claims, arguing that the US Department of Defense's Clearinghouse process was working as intended before the Trump administration moved to pull offshore wind project permits.

The Clearinghouse, whose full name is the Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse, was established by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 to ensure energy installations do not impact military readiness.

Renewable energy trade groups said the wind industry strengthens America's national security posture.

"The American wind energy sector is an asset to the US electric power sector, our national security and our defense industrial base," American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) spokesperson Chris Higginbotham told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy.

"The sector also helps support demand for steel, aluminum, copper and even shipbuilding — all areas that support a more secure American defense industrial base. ACORE looks forward to continuing to highlight the clean energy sector's important role in strengthening US national security and domestic manufacturing," Higginbotham added.