WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking wind energy projects, saying the effort to halt virtually all wind farm leasing on federal lands and waters was “arbitrary and capricious” and violates US law.
Judge Patti Saris of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order blocking wind energy projects and declared it illegal.
Saris ruled in favor of a coalition of state attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, DC, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who challenged Trump’s Day One order that halted leasing and permits for wind energy projects.
Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, and prioritizes fossil fuels to produce electricity.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell hailed the ruling as a victory for green jobs and renewable energy.
“Massachusetts has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in offshore wind, and today, we successfully protected those important investments from the Trump administration’s illegal order,” Campbell said in a statement.
“This critical victory also preserves good-paying green jobs and access to reliable, affordable energy that will help Massachusetts meet our clean energy and climate goals,” she added.
The coalition that opposed Trump’s order argued that Trump does not have the authority to halt project permits, and that doing so would jeopardize states’ economies, the energy mix, public health and climate goals.
The government argued that the claims of the states amount to nothing more than a disagreement about the policy on the preferences for the development of wind energy versus fossil fuel that is outside the jurisdiction of the federal court. Justice Department attorney Michael Robertson said in court that the wind order stopped short of allowing, but not stopping, while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum reviews the environmental impact of wind projects. Burgum’s review is ongoing, Robertson said.
A previous judge in the case allowed Burgum to proceed, but dismissed action against Trump and other Cabinet secretaries. Judge William Young allowed the states to proceed with claims that blocking permits for wind energy projects violates the Administrative Procedure Act, which outlines a detailed process for enacting regulations, but not the Constitution.
Wind is the United States’ largest source of renewable energy, providing about 10% of the electricity generated in the nation, according to the American Clean Energy Association. The coalition includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington state and Washington, DC