US Court Orders Restart of Wind Project Approvals

On Thursday, a US District Court in Oregon ordered the US government to restart the process of approving wind projects. The court ruled that the DoD's national security claims did not allow it to opt out of a process that is legally mandated. The Trump administration has made many attempts to block wind development, both offshore and land based.

Its attempts to stop offshore wind included the same approach at issue in this case: Claim that drone developments mean that radar interference by wind turbines creates a national security risk. The courts were not sympathetic to this claim, including in cases where judges examined a classified report that the DoD was using to justify blocking offshore wind construction. As a result, the administration has turned to paying companies not to pursue wind development. In parallel, the government was pursuing a similar approach for onshore wind.