VICTORY: Court Overturns Trump Administration’s Wind Pause

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Portland, Oregon — Today, the United States District Court for the District of Oregon ruled in favor of clean energy developers in a legal challenge against Donald Trump’s Department of Defense for freezing reviews of wind projects and delaying development for renewable energy. The review freeze created a “de-facto moratorium” on new wind, and was another attack from the Trump administration in its efforts to kneecap renewable energy in favor of more expensive, dirty fossil fuels.

Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, ruled that DoD’s wind project review freeze “violates statutory and regulatory deadlines” and ordered DoD to resume review of onshore wind projects and provide status updates every 30 days on the progress of these reviews.

Sierra Club and partners filed an amicus brief in support of this challenge as a part of the organization’s ongoing defense of clean energy. A separate lawsuit from 18 state attorneys general challenging the same freeze is also working its way through the courts. The Club also defended the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s order to regional grid operators to speed up renewable energy development, and won in court this month.

In response, Sierra Club Senior Attorney Joshua Berman issued the following statement: 

“Today’s win is a victory for the rule of law, and continues the string of successful legal efforts to block the Trump Administration’s attacks on clean energy. Trump’s agencies have tried every trick in the book to stop or slow-walk renewable energy development, and courts have seen through their ruses time after time.

“Renewable energy is the clear and common sense solution to lower energy costs, clean up our air and water, and create millions of jobs. Sierra Club will continue to fight unlawful actions to block these projects and defend our communities and our environment every step of the way.”