US judge strikes down Trump order blocking wind energy projects | Trump administration

A federal judge on Monday overturned Donald Trump’s executive order blocking wind energy projects, saying efforts to end virtually all wind farm leasing on federal lands and waters were “arbitrary and capricious” and violated U.S. law.

Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts overturned Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order blocking wind energy projects and declared it illegal.

Saris ruled in favor of a coalition of attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., led by Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, who challenged Trump’s first-day order that suspended leasing and permitting of wind energy projects.

Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, particularly offshore wind power, and prioritizes fossil fuels to generate electricity.

Andrea Joy Campbell, Massachusetts Attorney General, hailed the decision as a victory for green jobs and renewable energy.

“Massachusetts has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in offshore wind, and today we successfully protected these important investments from the Trump administration’s illegal order,” Campbell said in a statement.

James said she was grateful that the court intervened “to block the administration’s reckless and illegal crusade against clean energy.”

“As New Yorkers face rising energy costs, we need more energy sources, not fewer,” James said. “Wind energy is good for our environment, our economy and our communities. »

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said Monday evening that offshore wind projects were receiving unfair and preferential treatment under the Biden administration, while the rest of the energy sector was hobbled by burdensome regulations. “President Trump ended Joe Biden’s war on American energy and unleashed American energy dominance to protect our economic and national security,” Rogers said in a statement to The Associated Press.

The coalition that opposed Trump’s order argued that Trump did not have the authority to halt project permitting and that doing so jeopardized states’ economies, energy mix, public health and climate goals.

The coalition includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Washington DC. They say they have collectively invested hundreds of millions of dollars to develop wind power and even more to upgrade transmission lines to bring wind power to the power grid.

The government has argued that the states’ claims amount to nothing more than a political disagreement over wind energy development preferences over fossil fuels, which is outside the federal court’s jurisdiction. Justice Department attorney Michael Robertson said in court that the wind power order suspended the permitting, but did not halt it, while Doug Burgum, the U.S. Interior Secretary, reviews the environmental impact of wind projects.

The executive order said there were “alleged legal deficiencies underlying the federal government’s leasing and permitting” of wind projects under the Biden administration.

A previous judge in the case had allowed the action against Burgum, but dismissed a suit against Trump and other cabinet secretaries. Judge William Young allowed the states to pursue their claims that blocking permits for wind energy projects violates the Administrative Procedure Act, which outlines a detailed process for promulgating regulations, but not the Constitution.

Wind power is the largest source of renewable energy in the United States, providing about 10 percent of the electricity generated in the country, according to the American Clean Power Association.

Marguerite Wells, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, said wind energy is a key part of powering the nation’s electrical grid.

Wind power “is currently one of the most cost-effective ways to generate electricity and is being used successfully not only in the United States, but around the world,” she said. “With this decision behind us, the projects can now be judged on their merits. We thank the attorneys general who helped us move this case forward.”

Kit Kennedy of the Natural Resources Defense Council called the decision a victory for consumers, union workers, American businesses, air quality and the climate.

“Early in his term, the Trump administration shut down wind energy projects that are necessary to control utility bills and ensure grid reliability,” Kennedy said.

The wind power decision “was a devastating blow to workers, electricity customers and the reliability of the power grid,” she said, adding that the Trump administration “should use this decision as a wake-up call, end its illegal actions and move away from renewable energy development.”