A US federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against a set of permitting policies introduced by the Trump administration that wind and solar industry groups claim have hindered the rollout of new renewable energy generation projects, reported Reuters.
Chief US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston issued the order after nine advocacy groups and trade associations argued that actions by the US Department of the Interior (DoI) and other government agencies imposed unlawful barriers, causing developers to halt or delay wind and solar initiatives across the country.
The injunction covers members of the plaintiff organisations, including RENEW Northeast and the Alliance for Clean Energy New York.
Casper determined that the plaintiffs are likely to prove that the agencies implemented a series of contested policies without sufficient justification, including a memorandum adopted in July by the DoI.
That document requires multiple stages of approval from senior appointees for each step in the wind and solar permitting process.
Plaintiffs said this measure effectively stalled new project development and contravened the Administrative Procedure Act due to inadequate explanation for its necessity.
The case is the latest of several judicial rulings against policies introduced under President Trump’s administration that aimed to limit federal approvals for wind energy and obstruct construction of large-scale offshore wind developments, particularly along the US east coast.
Trump has promoted government support for fossil fuels throughout his term, calling for increased production of oil, coal and natural gas.
On 20 April, he invoked the Defense Production Act while signing further memorandums designed to increase fossil fuel output, describing the moves as essential for national defence readiness.
Industry groups supporting renewable sources initiated legal action in December, arguing that the government’s measures placed wind and solar technologies at a disadvantage compared to fossil fuels.
They pointed specifically to policies that categorised wind and solar as “capacity dense”, subjecting them to stricter regulatory demands.
The DoI also adopted a restrictive interpretation of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, introducing tougher requirements for offshore wind projects.
Judge Casper, appointed by former President Barack Obama, found that none of the directives cited by the DoI adequately justified the multi-level review process.
