Court Blocks Trump Administration Freeze On Federal Wind Energy Permits, AG Tong Says

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and a coalition of 18 attorneys general have secured a court ruling blocking the Trump Administration from halting federal permitting for wind energy projects.

A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Monday vacated the administration’s directive, which had indefinitely frozen federal approvals needed for both offshore and onshore wind projects. The court ruled the action was arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law.

Tong said the decision protects states’ efforts to advance renewable energy and maintain affordability for consumers.

“Trump’s attacks on wind energy never made any sense,” Tong said in a statement. “He was going to increase costs for families and businesses, deepen our reliance on fossil fuels, and undermine good jobs. We sued, we won, and I’m going to keep fighting to protect Connecticut’s ability to secure our own energy future.”

Related: Trump Halts $1.5B Revolution Wind Project; Lamont Vows To Fight For Offshore Energy

The attorneys general filed their lawsuit in May, arguing that federal agencies violated the Administrative Procedure Act and other laws by offering no justification for halting all wind energy approvals. The coalition said the freeze jeopardized state investments in wind infrastructure, supply chains, and job development, while hindering clean-energy goals and efforts to reduce air pollution.

The case centered on a Jan. 20 presidential memorandum directing agencies to stop all federal actions related to wind energy pending review. Agencies subsequently suspended all permitting and approval activity.

The coalition included attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.

Related: Revolution Wind Project Set To Resume In CT After Federal Court Ruling

The ruling marks the second recent legal setback for the administration’s wind-energy policies. In September, Connecticut and Rhode Island successfully challenged a stop-work order that halted construction on the Revolution Wind project.

Revolution Wind, located 15 nautical miles off Rhode Island, is expected to supply enough power for about 350,000 homes—representing roughly 2.5 percent of New England’s electricity—starting in 2026.

The project is projected to save ratepayers in Connecticut and Rhode Island hundreds of millions of dollars over two decades and support more than 2,500 jobs nationwide, including over 1,000 union construction positions. Construction is nearing completion.