US judge blocks Trump administration's actions that stymie wind and solar projects
A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing certain permitting policies that, according to wind and solar industry groups, have stymied new energy generation.
Denise Casper, Chief U.S. district judge in Boston, issued a preliminary order injunction requested by nine advocacy groups. The groups and trade associations argued that the administration had placed illegal roadblocks which have stopped the development of solar and wind energy projects across the country.
The judge stated that the plaintiffs would likely succeed in proving the U.S. Department of Interior, and other agencies adopted an?series of illegal policies' which led to the cancellation or delay of numerous wind and solar energy projects across the country.
Her decision applies to members of plaintiff organizations such as RENEW New York and Alliance for Clean Energy New York. The groups' lawyers did not respond immediately to a request for comments. A request for comments was not responded to by the Interior Department either.
The ruling is the latest in a string of judicial rebukes against the Trump administration's attempts to block federal approvals or stop the work on multi-billion dollar offshore wind farms that are under construction on the East Coast.
After campaigning on the slogan "drill baby drill" during his presidential run, the Republican president has sought to increase government support for fossil energy and maximize its output in the United States.
Trump invoked the Defense Production Act on Monday as he signed presidential memorandums related to energy, which are aimed at boosting the production of coal, oil and natural gas. He cited the need for "defense ready."
In December, groups supporting wind and sun power filed a lawsuit to block government actions that they claimed placed wind and solar technology in what their lawyer described as "second-class regulatory status."
These actions included the Interior Department adopting a policy in a?memorandum in July that required nearly every step of the wind and solar permit process to be approved by three?senior appointees including?Interior Sec. Doug Burgum.
The memo cited orders and directives Trump signed to block offshore wind development, and directed the Interior Department not to give "preferences' for "expensive energy sources like wind and solar."
Plaintiffs claimed that the policy was adopted in violation of Administrative Procedure Act, as it created a bottleneck and halted the permitting process.
Casper, who had been appointed by Democratic president Barack Obama, also agreed. He said that none of the department's directives explained or justified the three-tiered process.
She also blocked the Interior Department from adopting an interpretation of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act which imposes stricter requirements for offshore wind project. (Reporting and editing by Alexia Garamfalvi in Boston; Bill Berkrot, David Gaffen, and Bill Berkrot).
(source: Reuters)
