A federal judge on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s effort to halt approvals for all new wind energy projects — dealing a blow to the president’s efforts to hamper renewable energy.
Judge Patti Saris, appointed by former President Clinton, ruled that moves from the Interior Department, Commerce Department, Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers to suspend all wind authorizations are illegal.
“No permits have been issued since the Wind Order was promulgated, and the Agency Defendants acknowledge that they will not issue any permits at least until they complete the Comprehensive Assessment, for which there is no timeline,” Saris wrote. “That action is contrary to law.”
She vacated what she described as the agencies’ “wind order” — that is, their “decision to suspend issuing all authorizations related to wind energy projects.”
The decision comes after a challenge from 17 Democrat-led states.
President Trump has long sought to hamper wind projects and has for years complained about them.
On his first day in office, he issued an executive order that barred the government from auctioning off the rights to build wind farms offshore and also blocked new rights for wind on public lands.
Since then, he has also ordered already approved wind farms to halt their construction.
