Wind industry officials scrambled to fend off President Donald’s criticism of wind turbines during his speech Wednesday night.

“I don’t want to just hope the wind blows to light up your homes and your factories,” Trump told supporters at a rally in Iowa. “As the birds fall to the ground.”

Trump’s comments triggered a response from the CEO of the country’s largest wind energy lobbying group, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). CEO Tom Kiernan published a series of tweets to push back against Trump’s critiques of wind power.

Wind farms kill an estimated 573,000 birds and 888,000 bats each year, according to a 2013 peer-reviewed study published in Wildlife Society Bulletin. Wind farms are projected to kill 1.4 million birds annually by 2030 as more turbines come online. The industry has taken steps to mitigate bird deaths, and points out wind turbines are only responsible for a small fraction of them.

WATCH:

Trump used the speech to outline a vision for energy where the U.S. uses ever source possible.

“Whether it’s natural gas, whether it’s alternative sources, we’re going to have everything,” Trump said in the speech. “We use electric, we use wind, we use solar, we use coal, we use natural gas, we will use nuclear if the right opportunity presents itself. We’re going to be strong for the future.”

After winning the 2016 Presidential election last November, Trump allegedly told British politicians that he’s “personally offended” by wind turbines and thinks they’re unsightly.

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This article originally appeared in The Daily Caller
Featured image credit: Siegfried Kopp 123RF