Massachusetts Judge Orders Halt to Trump Administration Wind Farm, Solar Requirements

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Editor's note: This updated article contains more detail and background.

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Written by Daniel Graeber and Jesse Broehl for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

A Massachusetts judge called on the Interior Department to stop moving the goal post for renewable energy projects.

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Stop Throwing up Road Blocks, Judge Rules

A preliminary injunction calls on the U.S. Department of the Interior to stop issuing memos that seem to add new restrictions and reviews to renewable energy projects, a district court judge ruled.

According to Industrial Info Resources data, there are a remarkable number of renewable energy projects in various stages of planning, development, and engineering, that could benefit from fewer regulatory hurdles to permitting and construction.

By investment value, the US$9.1 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Windfarm is one of the largest such projects.

The Interior Department issued a memorandum in July 2025 stating that federal reviews of wind and solar projects should go through another layer of scrutiny. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued similar measures on renewable energy last year.

A coalition of plaintiffs representing wind and solar power developers brought a legal challenge and showed a pattern the group described as arbitrary and capricious of the Interior Department deliberately stalling or prohibiting routine federal review and permitting of projects.

On Tuesday, Chief Judge Denise Casper of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts blocked five actions, including a requirement for nearly ⁠every step in the wind and solar permitting process to receive approval from three senior political appointees, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, according to Reuters.

The judge ruled in a 73-page decision that the coalition of plaintiffs representing wind and solar power developers would succeed on their merits, ordering a preliminary injunction against Interior Department orders.

"Our coalition has demanded and received an immediate halt to the Trump administration's unlawful permitting actions, which have discriminatorily placed wind and solar technologies into second-class status," the coalition said in a statement provided to The New York Times.

Order Could Ease Barriers to $927 Billion of Solar and Wind Projects in Development

Industrial Info Resources is tracking 1,842 renewable energy projects in development in the U.S, representing US$725 billion in estimated total investment value (TIV). For wind projects, there are 308 projects, valued at around US$202 billion (see chart below).

Following renewable energy, natural gas power plants represent around US$307 billion of investment value, nuclear at US$242 billion and hydroelectric with US$150 billion. For the coal sector, there is only around $5 billion of projects in development.

By the Numbers

• 1,842: Renewable energy projects under development in the U.S.
• US$9.1 billion: Investments in just a single offshore wind farm

Offshore Wind Wins Earlier Case

Wind energy developers had already sued the federal government over stop-work orders, including for Revolution Wind, a US$4.2 billion project that will churn out 704 megawatts (MW) of power. The U.S. Department of Defense in late December said it found national security risks in classified reports related to offshore wind, suspending operations for five offshore wind farms in various stages of development.

Senior Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia overturned the federal stop work order on Revolution Wind in January, saying there was a month between when the Pentagon revealed its concerns and when the Interior Department issued its suspensions.

Trump Notched at Least One Win

But some of the damage may already be done. French supermajor TotalEnergies in March said it signed a settlement with the Department of the Interior to forfeit leases awarded in 2022 to develop wind energy off the coast of the Carolinas and New York.

"As a result, TotalEnergies will no longer develop offshore wind projects in the United States," the company stated.

In a rare transfer of taxpayer money to a foreign company, the U.S. Department of Justice gave TotalEnergies back the US$928 million it paid to secure the leases during President Joe Biden's tenure.

Patrick Pouyanne, the head of the company, said the reimbursed funds would be used instead to support construction of the Rio Grande LNG facility planned for Texas. From liquefied natural gas to recent efforts to bolster domestic oil production, the Trump administration has used executive action to prop up the oil and gas industry, though many of those actions have been challenged in the courts.

Key Takeaways

• Renewable energy winning in U.S. courts.
• Trump's pro-oil, pro-gas policies facing challenges.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).