Federal judge overturns trump’s wind energy ban, calling executive order “arbitrary and capricious”

A federal judge has delivered a significant victory for renewable energy advocates by striking down President Donald Trump’s executive order that effectively banned new wind energy projects on federal lands and waters. Judge Patti Saris of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled Monday that the January 20th executive order was “arbitrary and capricious” and violated federal law.

The ruling came in response to a legal challenge brought by a coalition of state attorneys general who argued that Trump’s sweeping moratorium on wind farm leasing was legally unfounded and harmful to clean energy development. The executive order, issued on Trump’s first day back in office, had brought virtually all new offshore and onshore wind projects on federal property to a halt, affecting billions of dollars in planned renewable energy investments.

Judge Saris vacated the entire executive order, declaring it unlawful and restoring the federal government’s ability to approve new wind energy leases. The decision represents a major setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back clean energy initiatives and could pave the way for dozens of stalled wind projects to move forward.

The ruling underscores the ongoing legal tensions surrounding federal energy policy, as environmental groups and state governments increasingly turn to the courts to challenge what they view as unlawful attempts to block renewable energy development. The decision is expected to be appealed, setting up a potential Supreme Court battle over the scope of presidential authority in energy policy.