"Federal Judge Finds Trump’s Halt on Wind Energy Is Illegal"

"The president ordered a stop to permits for all wind farms on federal lands and waters. A judge called that “capricious.”"

"A federal judge on Monday struck down President Trump’s halt on approvals of all wind power projects on federal lands and waters, dealing a significant legal setback to the administration’s campaign against wind farms.

Judge Patti B. Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts wrote that the president’s sweeping executive order, which halted all leasing of public lands and waters for new wind projects, was “arbitrary and capricious,” violating federal law.

Judge Saris, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, said the Interior Department had not provided a “reasoned explanation” of its decision to stop approving wind projects, as required by the Administrative Procedure Act. Instead, she said, the “agency defendants candidly concede that the sole factor they considered in deciding to stop issuing permits was the president’s direction to do so.”

Mr. Trump, a longtime critic of wind power, issued the executive order on his first day back in office in January. At the time, states like Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York had been planning to build more than a dozen large wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean to meet their renewable energy goals."

Maxine Joselow and Brad Plumer report for the New York Times December 8, 2025.

"Court Rejects Trump’s Pause On Wind Approvals" (The Hill)

Environmental Politics