Federal Court Invalidates Trump's Wind Energy Permit Freeze
A Massachusetts federal court has ruled that former President Trump's January executive order freezing new wind energy permits, both offshore and onshore, was unlawful, arbitrary, and contrary to law. The court vacated the permit freeze, finding that the agencies involved failed to provide a reasoned explanation for the policy change or justify halting the permits.
The legal challenge was brought by 17 states along with a New York clean energy group following a stop-work order on the Empire Wind 1 project off New York. This project aims to generate enough energy to power about 500,000 homes. The Interior Department had ordered Equinor, the developer, to halt construction, but work has since resumed.
New York Attorney General Letitia James hailed the ruling as a victory in the fight against climate change. The states argued that the broader permit freeze negatively impacted the U.S. economy.
Empire Wind is expected to take two years to complete and aims to be fully operational by the end of 2027. Former President Trump had criticized wind energy, describing windmills as "big and ugly" and asserting without evidence that wind turbines kill whales.
