A federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump’s executive order halting permits for the renewable energy source is unlawful, handing another win to the wind energy industry in its clash with the administration.
U.S. District Judge Patti Saris ruled Monday afternoon that the president’s Day One executive order suspending all new permits and leases for onshore and offshore wind energy projects was illegal, vacating the order.
“After review of the parties’ submissions and a hearing, the Court concludes that the Wind Order constitutes a final agency action that is arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law,” Saris’s ruling reads.
Saris’s ruling sides with more than a dozen states, as well as the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, a clean energy group, which challenged the executive order, arguing that it froze federal approvals for all wind energy projects.
The judge added that the Trump administration failed to provide adequate justification for the moratorium on wind energy permits. She also criticized the administration for framing the moratorium as temporary despite failing to provide a timeline for its comprehensive assessment and review of wind leasing and permitting practices.
Trump ordered the pause in January for this multiagency assessment to take place, saying there were “various alleged legal deficiencies underlying the Federal Government’s leasing and permitting of onshore and offshore wind projects” that may “lead to grave harm.”
In her ruling, Saris said the coalition of 17 states, Washington, D.C., and the Alliance for Clean Energy New York proved the executive order was causing the industry “ongoing or imminent injuries.”
This includes reduced or deferred tax revenue or returns related to the state’s investments in wind energy developments, as well as a delay in promised energy generated by the held-up projects.
It marks a major win for the wind energy industry, which has faced an onslaught of policy action aimed at preventing the industry from growing under Trump’s second administration.
Throughout the year, the administration has targeted both new and fully wind projects, even temporarily halting those already under construction. The administration has also canceled more than $679 million in funding for offshore wind-related projects and increased regulatory review for new projects overseen by the Interior Department.
This has been a part of the administration’s broader effort to bolster the fossil fuel industries while reversing the Biden administration’s push to adopt greener sources of energy.
It remains unclear whether the Trump administration will resume approving leases and permits for new wind projects, as officials, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, have repeatedly insisted energy sources such as offshore wind have no “future” under this administration.
Environmental organizations and wind advocates swiftly celebrated Monday’s ruling.
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“For nearly a year, the Trump administration has recklessly obstructed the build-out of clean, affordable power for millions of Americans, just as the country’s need for electricity is surging,” Ted Kelly, director and lead counsel of the U.S. Clean Energy at Environmental Defense Fund, said in a statement.
“We should not be kneecapping America’s largest source of renewable power, especially when we need more cheap, homegrown electricity,” Kelly added.
, 2025-12-08 22:53:00, 
, Washington Examiner, %%https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon.png?w=32, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Callie Patteson
