Federal Judge Says Trump Wind Ban Was Just Fans in a Breeze
KEY POINTS
- •Federal Judge Patti Saris nullified President Trump's January 20, 2025 memo stopping many offshore wind projects.
- •The ruling came from a case by New York and the Alliance for Clean Energy New York challenging the administration's actions.
- •Federal agencies still use overlapping policies restricting renewables, so the ultimate impact of the ruling remains uncertain.
Judge Patti Saris, a Clinton appointee from Massachusetts, declared Trump's January 20, 2025 offshore wind leasing halt as 'arbitrary and capricious,' basically the legal equivalent of saying, 'LOL, no.' This memo was Trump's favorite hatchet job on renewables, halting projects even mid-construction, like an energy soap opera starring New York and the Alliance for Clean Energy as plaintiffs. Yet the Interior Department remains tangled in its bureaucratic hedges, juggling overlapping orders as if they were hot potatoes. Meanwhile, ClearView Energy warns courts can't force permit issuance, effectively letting the fossil fuel lobby do the doggy paddle free. Environmental Defense's Ted Kelly celebrated relief for stalled jobs and affordable power, while Biden critics cried 'Green New Scam,' proving political drama ages like expired milk.
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When a federal judge calls your wind ban 'arbitrary and capricious,' congratulations on pioneering government decrees based on whimsy and gaslighting renewable energy.
Trump's wind ban was so random a judge needed a dictionary to explain 'arbitrary and capricious'—and even then, she wasn’t polite about it.
Blocking offshore wind since January 20, 2025: Trump’s memo tried to hold back progress like a toddler hiding veggies under the table.
Source: Axios | Published: 12/8/2025 | Author: Ben Geman
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