Judge Allows Vineyard Wind To Resume Construction

A federal judge has ruled that Vineyard Wind may continue construction on its 62-turbine, $4.5 billion wind farm southwest of Nantucket while a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s stop-work order remains pending.

Finding that the government failed to “adequately explain or justify the decision to halt construction,” Massachusetts District Court Judge Brian Murphy issued the stay Tuesday, which will allow Vineyard Wind to immediately resume work on the nearly complete offshore wind farm.

The Trump administration ordered a blanket freeze on all offshore wind construction last December, citing national security threats, but nearly the entire suspension order is now on hold as lawsuits from the affected wind farms progress.

In addition to Vineyard Wind, three other projects - Revolution Wind, Empire Wind, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind - have all received stays that allow them to continue construction.

As of the stop-work order, Vineyard Wind had fully installed 44 turbines and partially installed another 17. In its lawsuit, Vineyard Wind alleges that the suspension is not only a threat to the economic viability of the project, but also to public safety.

Vineyard Wind representatives claim that the biggest risk is associated with the ten “hammerheads,” or turbines that are partially built but have not yet had blades attached. The lawsuit cites risks including fire, release of debris into the ocean, and “structural fatigue.”

This isn’t the final word in the legal battle over the future of Vineyard Wind. Murphy, who was appointed by former president Joe Biden, did not rule on the merits of Vineyard Wind’s lawsuit, only that the offshore wind farm could continue work while that lawsuit progresses. Ultimately, a judge will have to decide whether President Trump is allowed to stop work on the nearly complete installation, despite the permits issued by the former presidential administration.

“As the legal process proceeds, Vineyard Wind will continue to work with the Administration to understand the matters raised in the order,” Vineyard Wind wrote in a brief statement. “Vineyard Wind will focus on working in coordination with its contractors, the federal government, and other relevant stakeholders and authorities to safely restart activities, as it continues to deliver a critical source of new power to the New England region.”

While Vineyard Wind alleges that halting construction is dangerous, the Trump administration denies these accusations and argues that resuming work is the real risk, as it could negatively impact national security.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told The New York Times that "the administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue," but did not say whether the Justice Department would file an appeal.

Administration figures have been vague about the nature of the national security risks, beyond potential radar interference. A classified file that allegedly contains the details of the national security threat was included with the government’s filings in Vineyard Wind’s lawsuit, but it wasn’t enough to convince Murphy that the suspension was justified.

Among other concerns, Murphy questioned why the government was allowing the already installed turbines to continue operating if the operation of the wind farm was a threat to national security.

The four stays against the Trump administration’s stop-work order represent a major setback in the President’s assault on wind energy, which is now stuck in an extensive legal quagmire. The government has yet to win a single victory in court since the suspension was issued last December.

ACK For Whales, the Nantucket-based group which has opposed Vineyard Wind from the start and recently filed another legal challenge against the project, said in a statement that it anticipates an appeal of the judge's order to stay.

"We are disappointed in the judge's decision and anticipate that the government will appeal," ACK For Whales co-founder Val Oliver said. "While this ruling allows Vineyard Wind to continue construction in the short run, the company's court filings raise many questions, including why, as late as December 2025, there were still defective blades installed directly off of Nantucket. The public safety concerns regarding civilian and military radar interference are well documented and there are no available mitigations for these at this time."