States file lawsuits against Trump for being considered an 'existential threat' to wind energy.
It is claimed that Trump is interfering with state affairs.
The District of Columbia, along with 17 states, including New York, Arizona, Massachusetts, California, Colorado, and Illinois, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration regarding restrictions imposed on the development of wind energy projects in the United States. The states argue that the presidential memorandum signed by Trump on his first day in office, which halted federal approvals for wind energy projects, has negatively impacted their ability to reduce pollution and provide affordable electricity to their residents. This situation jeopardizes billions in investments made in infrastructure, workforce development, and supply chains for wind energy.
New York Attorney General Letitia James stated that the administration is harming one of the country's cleanest, most reliable, and affordable energy sources. The litigation alleges that Trump's actions against wind energy have been “arbitrary and capricious,” invoking the Administrative Procedure Act, which allows courts to deem illegal the actions of federal agencies that do not meet reasonableness standards.
Additionally, on his first day in office, Trump declared a "national energy emergency" through an executive order promoting the development of fossil fuel projects while discouraging other forms of renewable energy, such as wind. In response to the lawsuit, a White House spokesperson framed the litigation as a partisan attack, indicating that Democratic attorneys general are using the law to obstruct the president’s energy agenda.
The president has also received over $75 million in contributions from oil and gas interests during his campaign, and he has spread misinformation about offshore wind projects, linking them without evidence to whale deaths. The suing states contend that the Trump administration is abruptly reversing long-standing policies after previous assessments of the benefits and risks associated with wind energy.
In April, the administration increased its opposition to wind energy by ordering the halt of a major project off the coast of New York, despite the project already having the necessary federal and state approvals. The company Equinor indicated that it was considering legal action due to this order, which it qualifies as "unprecedented and illegal." The lawsuit filed in a district court in Massachusetts describes the presidential directive as an "existential threat" to an industry that has already paralyzed most wind energy development.