Judge rules that Trump administration may reconsider SouthCoast wind approval

The U.S. District Court ruled Tuesday that the Interior Department of President Donald Trump may review the Biden Administration's approval for the SouthCoast project off the coasts of Massachusetts.

The order returns the matter to Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for a re-examination of its decision, as part of Trump’s review of U.S. Offshore Wind Leasing and Permitting.

Interior said that it had identified problems with the environmental analysis of the project and a review may result in the SouthCoast permit being withdrawn.

The District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Tanya Chutkan, ruled on a lawsuit filed by the Massachusetts island town of Nantucket earlier this year challenging the approval of the project.

Ocean Winds is a joint-venture between Portugal's EDP Renewables (EDP) and France's ENGIE.

Chutkan stated in the order that the court did not believe that the developer would suffer immediate or significant hardships as a result.

Ocean Winds did not respond to a request for comment. Reporting by Nicholae Groom, Editing by Chris Reese & Bill Berkrot

(source: Reuters)