A federal judge has ruled in favor of Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and 17 other state attorneys general, blocking a Trump Administration order that would have halted all federal permitting for wind energy projects.
“Trump’s erratic attacks on wind energy and his bizarre rants about windmills never made any sense. He was going to jack up energy costs for American families and businesses, further our reliance on fossil fuels and foreign oil, and throw workers off good jobs. We sued, we won, and I’m going to keep fighting to protect Connecticut’s ability to secure our own energy future that makes sense for our costs and climate,” said Attorney General Tong.
The legal action began in May when the coalition challenged the Trump Administration’s decision to stop federal approvals needed for both offshore and onshore wind projects pending a review. On Monday, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated those actions, calling them arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law.
On January 20, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum that froze all necessary federal approvals for wind energy development until further notice. Federal agencies then stopped their permitting activities as directed.
The attorneys general argued that this move undermined efforts by states to diversify their energy sources with affordable options like wind power. They also claimed it threatened investments in infrastructure and workforce development tied to the industry. The lawsuit stated that federal agencies did not provide adequate reasoning for halting all approvals indefinitely, violating established procedures under several statutes including the Administrative Procedure Act.
Attorney General Tong was joined by counterparts from Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.
This is not the first time states have challenged similar orders. In September Connecticut and Rhode Island successfully blocked another Trump Administration stop work order affecting Revolution Wind—a major offshore facility located fifteen nautical miles off Rhode Island’s coast. When operational in 2026 Revolution Wind will supply electricity to approximately 350000 homes or about 2.5 percent of New England’s grid capacity over twenty years while saving ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars across Connecticut and Rhode Island. The project supports more than 2500 jobs nationwide including over 1000 union construction roles; its regulatory review is complete with construction nearly finished.
Assistant Attorney General Jill Lacedonia and Deputy Associate Attorney General Matthew Levine supported Attorney General Tong in this case.