A federal judge in Boston blocked several Trump-era permitting policies that advocacy groups say halted the development of new wind and solar projects nationwide. The preliminary injunction, sought by nine groups and industry associations, targets Interior Department directives that centralized approval authority and favored fossil fuels, creating a bottleneck in the permitting process. The ruling follows multiple federal rebukes of the administration’s efforts to curb offshore wind and other renewables, underscoring ongoing tensions between environmental groups and federal energy-policy shifts. The decision signals a potential rollback of barriers to renewable projects, with lawsuits and policy challenges continuing to shape the trajectory of clean-energy development.
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Nine advocacy groups and industry trade associations filed the suit in December, arguing that Interior Department actions placed wind and solar technologies in a regulatory 'second-class status' and halted project development nationwide.
At a March 4 hearing, plaintiff lawyer Daron Janis described a July memorandum by the Interior Department that required almost every permitting step for wind and solar projects to receive approval from three senior political appointees, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, effectively creating a 'complete bottleneck.'
The memorandum cited directives and orders from the Trump administration aimed at blocking offshore wind development and pushing the department to eliminate perceived preferences for 'expensive and unreliable' energy sources like wind and solar.
Prosecutors argued the policy lacked a justification and violated the Administrative Procedure Act, while the Department of Justice contended Burgum had statutory authority to exert more oversight and that the industry groups lacked standing to challenge actions that do not directly affect them.
The case highlights ongoing friction over offshore wind and multi-billion-dollar East Coast projects, with previous government moves to restrict approvals drawing repeated judicial rebukes as opponents press for faster renewable deployment.