Blue states are cheering a federal appeals court ruling that has closed the book on a legal fight over the Trump administration’s blockade of new domestic onshore and offshore wind projects.
In a brief order Monday, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Interior Department’s request to drop its appeal of a lower court ruling that had invalidated the administration’s “wind directive” pausing new development.
Interior did not provide an explanation in its court filing for why it was abandoning the case. Its decision comes as federal judges have repeatedly struck down the Trump administration’s efforts to halt authorizations and construction on existing projects.
The Democratic attorneys general of Massachusetts and New York — who were part of an 18-member coalition that sued over the wind directive last year — applauded the ruling out of the Boston-based court as a win for renewable energy in their states.
“New York’s wind projects will create jobs, strengthen our economy, and bring down New Yorkers’ electric bills,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led the state coalition.
The Empire State has made offshore wind a central part of its plan to slash climate pollution and meet growing energy demand, and James vowed to “continue to fight any attempt to undermine that progress.”
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said her state has directed hundreds of millions of dollars into offshore wind development, “and the court correctly protected those critical investments from the Trump administration’s unlawful order.”
Campbell said the administration’s decision to drop the appeal and the court’s formal dismissal “will preserve well-paying clean energy jobs and ensure access to reliable, affordable energy as Massachusetts continues to advance its climate goals.”
She noted the Bay State has offshore wind projects in various stages of permitting and development — including the just-completed Vineyard Wind project. Once online, the projects are expected to produce enough electricity to power 1.4 million homes.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled in December that Interior’s pause on new wind approvals pending an agency review was arbitrary and capricious under procedural law.
The agency halted new development in response to a Day 1 executive order from President Donald Trump that called for a freeze on all new approvals for wind projects.
In her order, Judge Patti Saris, an Obama appointee to the Massachusetts District Court, focused on the indefinite delay facing states and project developers seeking to pursue new wind projects.
“More than ten months after the Wind Order instituted a ‘temporary’ pause on the issuance of wind energy authorizations, no end to the Comprehensive Assessment appears to be in sight,” Saris wrote. “The Agency Defendants neither included a timeline for that assessment in the administrative record nor provided an anticipated end date during the course of this litigation.”
