Environment
Federal Judge Orders Pentagon to Resume Security Reviews for Stalled Wind Energy Projects
A federal judge has ordered the Department of Defense to lift its blockade of wind energy projects and resume the permitting process that has ground to a halt during President Donald Trump’s second term. Under Trump, the Pentagon has stopped…
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Key points
Federal Judge Orders Pentagon to Resume Security
- A federal judge ordered the Pentagon to resume mandatory national security reviews for onshore wind projects.
- The ruling impacts more than 155 wind energy developments that were stalled during the review pause.
- The court determined the Defense Department must adhere to established regulatory review deadlines.
NewsWK — A federal judge in Oregon has ordered the Department of Defense to resume statutory national security reviews for onshore wind energy projects, issuing a preliminary injunction against an administrative pause that halted development on more than 155 projects across the country.
According to a report first published by Stateline, U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut directed the Pentagon on Thursday to restart the review process required for wind turbines exceeding 200 feet in height while the underlying lawsuit proceeds through the court system.
The legal action was filed by renewable energy developers and state attorneys general after the Defense Department stopped conducting the routine evaluations. Plaintiffs argued that the freeze improperly delayed power infrastructure projects nationwide during a period of growing electricity demand.
In her ruling, Judge Immergut found that federal military officials failed to adhere to established regulatory timelines for permit evaluations. She wrote that the Department of Defense “cannot pick and choose which parts of this legal regime to follow.”
Defense Department representatives previously stated that the agency has worked “to balance renewable energy development with the protection and preservation of testing, training, and operational readiness,” according to Stateline’s reporting. The preliminary injunction requires the agency to maintain those evaluations under existing statutory deadlines while litigation continues.
Based on reporting by Alex Brown originally published by Stateline. Read the original story.
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