MARYLAND – Attorney General Kathy Jennings, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and 17 other attorneys general, won their lawsuit against the Trump administration over "its unlawful order" to freeze all federal permitting of wind energy projects.
In May, the coalition filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to indefinitely halt all federal approvals necessary for the development of offshore and onshore wind energy projects pending federal review. A federal judge vacated those actions, saying that they were arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law.
“Our lawsuit safeguards wind energy development that would lead to lower utility costs and preserves a pathway to ensure a cleaner, safer environment for our children.” said Attorney General Brown.
On Jan. 20, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum that, among other things, indefinitely froze all federal approvals needed for the development of wind energy projects pending federal review.
While approvals on the state level had showed support for the US Wind project, towns like Ocean City and Fenwick Island continued to debate the construction having expressed concerns about potential harm to marine life and the tourism.
Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan questions Attorney General Brown's goals with the lawsuit saying, "Although we are disappointed with the ruling by the US District Court of Massachusetts on President Trump's order to stop new permits and approvals for offshore wind projects, the ruling does not impact the US Wind Project because that project already had Federal Approval. In fact, we question why Attorney General Anthony Brown felt the need to spend Maryland Tax payer dollars on this law suit at all."
In the lawsuit, the attorneys general alleged that those actions harmed their states’ efforts to secure reliable, diversified and affordable sources of energy. Brown said Maryland specifically has invested heavily in wind energy as part of its plan to fight climate change.
Maryland's state law requires it reach net zero carbon emissions by 2045, with wind power being a large part of the effort.
“It is almost unbelievable that this Administration would choose to make energy more expensive for Americans during an affordability crisis, but that’s exactly what they did,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “Their actions were bad for consumers, bad for the environment, and plainly against the law. I’m thrilled that we stopped them in their tracks.”
The coalition argued that federal agencies’ actions violated the Administrative Procedure Act and other federal laws because the agencies, among other things, provided no reasoned explanation for categorically and indefinitely halting all wind energy approvals.
Brown was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington.