The Minidoka War Relocation Center, in Jerome County, Idaho, is where 13,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. Today, the site stands as a powerful reminder of this chapter in American history.

In August 2025, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum revoked the federal permit for the Lava Ridge Wind Project, which had been issued by the Bureau of Land Management in December 2024. The proposed Lava Ridge Wind Project would have caused adverse effects to the Minidoka National Historic Site, which spurred Minidoka’s inclusion on the National Trust’s 2022 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

For years, the National Trust’s Legal Advocacy and Government Relations teams worked along with advocates from the Japanese American and Minidoka survivor groups to oppose the project.

Further action followed in January 2026 when Congress enacted the FY 2026 Interior Appropriations bill. The legislation prohibits the use of federal funds for construction of the Lava Ridge Wind Project in Idaho unless the Secretary of the Interior completes a review of the Department of Interior’s Record of Decision and the Presidential Memorandum, and as appropriate, an analysis in accordance with the Presidential Memorandum titled ‘‘Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects.’’