Ben Cowan, a partner in Troutman Pepper Locke’s Energy Industry Group, was quoted in the August 12, 2025 E&E News EnergyWire article, “Interior Demands Eagle Data From Wind Developers.”

“The concern is that the administration might use the data it collects to serve a narrative against the industry and individual projects,” Benjamin Cowan, a partner at the Troutman Pepper Locke law firm whose clients include wind developers, said in an interview.

The Trump administration could use the data to try to write a more restrictive rule for eagle permits or to shut down projects for perceived permit violations, he said. FWS is part of the Interior Department.

Cowan said such a request for information normally would not be worrisome for his wind power clients. It comes, though, as the Trump administration has unleashed a volley of proposals aimed at curbing wind development on federal lands.

The wind energy industry initially expected the eagle takes pause would be short-lived, and that the service would resume issuing permits after the administration completed a review of the program and Brian Nesvik was confirmed as the new FWS director, said Cowan, the Troutman attorney. Nesvik was confirmed earlier this month.

The industry is now bracing for what could be an extended pause in the face of “overt hostility” from an administration “that doesn’t seem concerned about the certainty of expectations,” Cowan said.

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