A coalition of 17 states and the District of Columbia has initiated legal action against the Trump administration, challenging its decision to halt federal permits for wind-energy projects. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Boston, claims the administration’s move to suspend all wind energy approvals is illegal and demands immediate judicial intervention to lift the freeze.
On 20 January 2025, President Trump issued a directive that paused offshore wind leasing across all areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Issuance of permits and loans for onshore and offshore wind projects also stopped.
This halt has resulted in numerous applications being put on hold, potentially impacting the advancement of a crucial clean energy source and related job growth across the US.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, leading the coalition, said: “This arbitrary and unnecessary directive threatens the loss of thousands of good-paying jobs and billions in investments, and it is delaying our transition away from the fossil fuels that harm our health and our planet.”
The group seeks a preliminary injunction to prevent the administration from enforcing the freeze while the lawsuit is underway. The coalition contends that the directive contradicts longstanding bipartisan support for wind energy and the President’s own recent executive orders, which address a national energy emergency but exclude wind energy from expansion plans.
The attorneys general argue that the freeze is detrimental to states’ abilities to provide reliable and affordable electricity, meet rising energy demands, and reduce fossil fuel pollution.
Moreover, the halt threatens states’ statutory climate goals, such as New York’s mandate to source 70% of its electricity from renewables by 2030 and 100% by 2040. The coalition also warned that delaying the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy will worsen climate, public health, and environmental issues globally.
The lawsuit asserts that President Trump has overstepped his legal authority by unilaterally halting the permitting process, seeking court intervention to deem the blockade unlawful and resume the wind energy permitting process.
Joining Attorney General James in the lawsuit are her counterparts from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
It can be noted that the US Interior Department ordered the suspension of construction on Equinor’s Empire Wind project near New York last month. The 2.1GW initiative, which was slated to become operational in 2027, is anticipated to generate enough power for 700,000 homes.
