Judge allows Trump-halted offshore wind project to resume
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A turbine blade is lifted onto a rack near tower sections at the Revolution Wind project assembly site in Connecticut last October. Photo: Joe Buglewicz/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A federal judge is allowing a major wind project to resume construction off Rhode Island's coast while the court battle over the Trump administration's recent stop-work order plays out.
Why it matters: The preliminary injunction is a win for the nearly complete Revolution Wind project, which would provide power to Rhode Island and Connecticut. The project is jointly owned by Ørsted and BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners.
- It could signal that other recently halted projects will be able to proceed as well.
Driving the news: Revolution Wind has "demonstrated likelihood of success on the merits of its underlying claims" and is is "likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction," Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said in a Monday order.
Catch up quick: It's one of five under-construction wind projects off the Atlantic Coast that Trump administration officials halted last month, citing classified national security risks.
- Lamberth last year granted an injunction allowing the project to continue before the administration's action last month.
State of play: "The Project will resume construction work as soon as possible, with safety as the top priority, and to deliver affordable, reliable power to the Northeast," Ørsted said in a statement Monday.
What they're saying: "Today's ruling reaffirms what was already clear. The Trump administration's second attempt to halt the Revolution Wind project is driven by the president's longstanding personal vendetta against offshore wind, not any genuine national security concerns," Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) said in a statement.
The other side: "President Trump has been clear: wind energy is the scam of the century," White House spokewoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement that also criticized the cost of offshore wind.
- "The Trump administration paused the construction of all large-scale offshore wind projects because our number one priority is to put America First and protect the national security of the American people," she said.
What we're watching: Court battles over the other projects, including Ørsted's Sunrise Wind development.
- Monday's order "strongly suggests that Judge Lamberth may also rule in favor of Sunrise Wind in a very similar legal challenge before him," ClearView Energy Partners said in a note.
"While other judges presiding over legal challenges to lease suspensions for the remaining offshore wind projects are not strictly bound by Judge Lamberth's ruling, today's outcome could suggest favorable outlooks for those suspended projects, too," ClearView adds, though it cautions that Trump officials could file appeals.
- Rogers, the White House spokeswoman, said, "We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue."
