In a win for clean energy, court orders Defense Department to end freeze of wind project reviews
Washington, D.C. – Last week, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Department of Defense to end its freeze of wind energy projects reviews, delivering an important victory against the Trump administration’s de facto ban on new wind development.
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) and seven other environmental groups filed an amicus brief in the case in June, urging the court to take immediate action to end the Defense Department’s blanket pause on wind project reviews.
“This is an important victory for the rule of law and for a functioning federal process for reviewing energy infrastructure,” said Frank Sturges, Senior Attorney at CATF. “The Department of Defense cannot impose an indefinite, across-the-board blockade on an entire industry by refusing to carry out the reviews required under law. This ruling helps restore a functioning review process for wind projects and provides an important check on the administration’s efforts to delay critical clean energy infrastructure.”
The Department of Defense’s freeze had halted more than 100 proposed wind projects. The affected projects are expected to provide approximately 46,000 megawatts of electricity generation capacity – enough to power 14 million homes.
The court’s decision comes as the Trump administration continues its efforts to block or delay onshore and offshore wind energy development. Wind energy is an important source of affordable, zero-carbon electricity and can help meet growing electricity demand in the near-term while strengthening grid resilience and reducing air pollution. The ruling is an important step toward restoring timely, project-specific federal reviews of wind energy projects and ensuring that agencies follow the processes established by law.
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About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With 30 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
