Federal Judge Strikes Down President Trump's Ban on New Wind Power Projects
Wind power in the U.S. will apparently continue unencumbered.
On the very first day of his second term, President Trump issued a number of sweeping executive orders, including declaring a National Emergency for domestic energy and putting the kibosh on wind energy leasing for all areas within the Offshore Continental Shelf.
This ban on new wind power projects went into effect the very next day, January 21st, and according to the order, the relevant agencies “shall not issue new or renewed approvals, rights of way, permits, leases, or loans for onshore or offshore wind projects pending the completion of a comprehensive assessment and review of Federal wind leasing and permitting practices.”
The exact reasons for this ban are beyond the scope of this publication, though Trump’s domestic energy EO did bemoan our reliance on “foreign energy,” and while that largely related to fossil fuels, it is worth pointing out that a huge percentage of wind turbine components are sourced from overseas – nacelles, generators, blades, hubs, and towers, amongst others.
The White House had also claimed that wind power got special considerations, while the rest of the energy industry was bogged down by regulations.
Whatever the reasons, Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts recently declared Trump’s wind power ban "arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law," tossing it out.
Seventeen states had previously sued Trump to overturn the president's ban, saying it created "an existential threat to the wind industry."
Needless to say, this will dramatically shake up renewable energy in America.
