BOSTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) – A federal judge ruled on Monday against an order from President Donald Trump's administration that aimed to stop all federal approvals for new wind energy projects. The judge stated that the actions taken by the agencies to follow Trump’s directive were unlawful and lacked justification.
The U.S. Departments of the Interior, Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency had been enforcing this order, which paused all new approvals for both land-based and offshore wind projects until a review of leasing and permitting practices could be conducted.
U.S. District Judge Patti Saris, who is based in Boston, sided with a coalition of 17 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia. She noted that the agencies did not provide adequate explanations for their actions in response to Trump’s directive issued on his first day back in office, January 20.
Judge Saris pointed out that under the Administrative Procedure Act, the agencies cannot lawfully refuse to review permit applications indefinitely. She was appointed by former Democratic President Bill Clinton.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat leading the legal challenge, celebrated the ruling as "a big victory in our fight to keep tackling the climate crisis" on social media.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers commented that Trump's order had “unleashed America’s energy dominance to protect our economic and national security.”
Trump has focused on increasing government support for fossil fuels and maximizing energy output in the U.S., which is the leading oil and gas producer globally, following his campaign mantra of "drill, baby, drill."
The states, led by New York, filed a lawsuit in May after the Interior Department ordered Norway's Equinor to stop construction on its Empire Wind offshore project near New York.
Although the administration later allowed work on Empire Wind to continue, the states argue that the broader halt on permitting and leasing still negatively impacts the economy.
The states also mentioned that the agencies implementing Trump's order did not explain why they abruptly changed the long-standing policies that supported wind energy development.
Judge Saris agreed, stating that this new policy “represents a significant shift from decades of agencies issuing (or denying) permits related to wind energy projects.”
She wrote that the defendants openly admitted that the only reason they stopped issuing permits was due to the President’s direction.
An offshore wind energy trade group welcomed the ruling, noting the importance of lifting the ban on offshore wind permitting. Liz Burdock, CEO of Oceantic Network, mentioned that this is essential for advancing the nation’s energy and economic goals, including increasing power production, enhancing grid reliability, and driving investments in American steel manufacturing and shipbuilding.