The Trump management faced legal defeats this week as judges authorized the resumption of work on several East Coast offshore wind farms under construction.
In December, the Department of the Interior halted five projects with a combined 6 gigawatts of potential generating capacity, citing national security concerns. Court orders now allow construction to restart on three projects: Revolution Wind off rhode Island, Empire Wind off New York, and Coastal virginia Offshore Wind off Virginia.
Developers quickly filed lawsuits after the administration’s stop work order, which had been in effect for 90 days.
The government justified the halt days before Christmas, expressing concerns about interference with radar operations.This is a legitimate issue that the government and developers considered during the siting and permitting phases. Wind farms can be positioned to minimize radar disruption, and radar technology can be upgraded to filter out turbine-generated noise.
President Trump has openly criticized offshore wind, stating, “I’m not much of a windmill person,” during a conversation with oil executives according to Reuters.
