Eighteen states sued the Trump administration on Monday over the suspension of permits for wind energy projects, claiming their actions pose an existential threat to burgeoning industries.
“This administration is destroying one of our country's fastest growing sources of clean, reliable and affordable energy,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of the plaintiffs. She said the suspension threatens “thousands of payroll employment and billions of investment losses” and “slows the transition from fossil fuels that hurt our health and the planet.”
The suspension of federal permits for wind energy was first laid out in the January 20th executive order. It directed the agency to suspend all permits for wind farms pending federal review.
According to the lawsuit, federal agencies have already made major investments that are at risk. The order also directed the U.S. Attorney General and the Secretary of the Interior to “end or modify” existing leases to wind farms, further increasing uncertainty for the company.
The wind industry provides about 10% of the country's electricity, and is developing many new projects, especially in the Great Plains and the Atlantic.
Last month, the Trump administration shut down a major wind farm under construction off Long Island, the Empire Wind Project. It is designed to provide enough power to power half a million homes. Although they had already received the necessary permissions, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgham proposed that the Biden administration's analysis during the approval process was rushed and insufficient.
James said Trump has also declared an energy emergency. Energy experts called the declaration an exaggeration. Nevertheless, she said the suspension on wind permitting hurts its ability to provide new sources of energy.
New York also has new laws on books that require dramatically increased amounts of electricity coming from renewable sources. Achieving that goal is even more complicated without the wind source.
The lawsuit nominates many federal officials and agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior. The EPA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
White House spokesman Taylor Rogers has accused the Democratic attorney general of accusing him of using “laws” to block the president's energy agenda. “Americans in the Blue State should not have to pay the price of the Democratic Party's radical climate agenda,” she said.
The Interior Department said in a statement that “we have committed to overseeing public land and water for the benefit of all Americans, while prioritizing financial responsibility to Americans.”
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Massachusetts calls on judges to prevent federal agencies from taking action to stop the development of wind energy and declare the executive order illegal.
“The Trump administration's instructions to halt the development of offshore wind energy is illegal,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
His office said federal policies “derail the clean energy transition and are costly for Americans. In addition to onshore wind farms, the state has five federal offshore wind leasings, the office said. Offshore businesses are more complicated and expensive to operate.
Timothy Fox, managing director of Washington consulting firm ClearView Energy Partners, said he hopes the lawsuit will face difficult climbs when convincing the executive order. The company's “best case scenario” for the offshore wind industry is that facilities already operating or currently developing could continue without opposition from the Trump administration.
