The states argue that by signing a presidential memorandum on his first day in office that halted federal approvals for wind energy projects, President Trump impeded their ability to reduce pollution and provide residents with cheap electricity. Billions of dollars of investments they’ve made in infrastructure, workforce development, and supply chains for wind energy are at risk, they contend.
On his first day, Trump also declared a so-called “national energy emergency” in an executive order to promote the development of fossil fuel projects. “These and numerous other executive actions similarly encouraged domestic energy development—that is, all but wind and other renewable energy,” the complaint says.
The Trump administration, meanwhile, is framing the lawsuit as a partisan attack. “Instead of working with President Trump to unleash American energy and lower prices for American families, Democrat Attorneys General are using lawfare to stop the President’s popular energy agenda,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in an email to The Verge. “Americans in blue states should not have to pay the price of the Democrats’ radical climate agenda.”
In April, the Trump administration escalated its fight against windmills by ordering the developer of a major project off the coast of New York to stop construction, even though the project already had federal and state approvals in place. The company, Equinor, said in an earnings call last week that it’s considering taking legal action.