Trump seeks an end to offshore wind energy, but courts have disagreed

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to temporarily withdraw offshore wind leasing and projects on the outer continental shelf. His administration has sought to carry out his order but has run into opposition in the courts.

In July, the Interior Department rescinded all designated wind energy areas along the Outer Continental Shelf, a wide ribbon of land surrounding the U.S. shore in which the U.S. has exclusive economic rights. The following month, the department launched a review of federal regulations. 

In December, a federal judge found Trump's original ban unlawful because of the order's indefinite halt of operations. "In addition to being arbitrary and capricious, the Wind Order must be set aside on the independent basis that it is contrary to law," U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris of Massachusetts wrote in her order. 

The administration appealed in February.

Also in December, the department paused leases for five companies that were constructing wind projects, citing "national security risks."

This effort experienced a setback, too; in February, a federal judge allowed the five companies to resume operations. Energy developer Vineyard Wind finished construction of a new offshore wind farm in Massachusetts in March, marking the first project completion since Trump's threat to stop all operations.

The federal government has also tried to convince offshore wind companies to shift their efforts. That approach found some success when the Interior Department announced an agreement with the company TotalEnergies to end its offshore wind projects and spend instead on natural gas development.

The Trump administration has taken multiple actions to halt operations for wind energy projects, but the courts have pushed back. While the legal battle plays out, we rate this promise In The Works.