Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, along with a coalition of 18 attorneys general, has prevailed in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its order to halt all federal permitting for wind energy projects.
The legal challenge began in May when the group contested the administration’s decision to indefinitely stop all federal approvals required for both offshore and onshore wind energy development while a federal review was pending. A federal judge from the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled in favor of the coalition, stating that the actions taken by the administration were “arbitrary and capricious, and contrary to law.”
Attorney General Neronha commented on the ruling: “The Trump Administration cannot cancel clean energy projects just because they believe doing so is politically expedient, and yesterday’s win reaffirms this. The truth is, Americans rely on their leadership to embrace clean, affordable energy solutions to curb the harmful effects of climate change and the increasingly volatile costs of fossil fuels. Rhode Islanders and Americans everywhere continue to pay the price, quite literally, for a collective hesitancy in embracing clean energy infrastructure. And we certainly aren’t going to stand by while the President arbitrarily attempts to curb what progress we’ve made. We’ve fought him here and won; we’ve fought him over his unlawful attempt to cancel the Revolution Wind project and we are winning; and we will continue to fight where this Administration causes harm to the American people.”
On January 20, President Trump had issued a Presidential Memorandum that put an indefinite freeze on all necessary federal approvals for wind energy projects. Following this directive, agencies ceased all related permitting activities.
The coalition’s lawsuit claimed that these actions interfered with state efforts to secure reliable and affordable electricity sources, reduce air pollution emissions, achieve clean energy goals, and address climate change. Additionally, it argued that halting wind energy permits threatened significant investments states had already made in infrastructure, supply chains, and workforce training related to wind power.
The attorneys general maintained that stopping all permitting violated procedures outlined in federal statutes governing agency actions and failed to provide adequate explanation as required by law.
Joining Attorney General Neronha in this effort were attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington.
