Massachusetts Sues Trump Over Efforts To Halt Offshore Wind Projects

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell joined 17 of her colleagues Monday in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that its efforts to halt the development of offshore wind energy are unlawful.

According to Campbell's office, President Donald Trump's Jan. 20 directive and its implementation by federal agencies violates the Administrative Procedure Act and federal laws because officials "provide no reasoned explanation for categorically and indefinitely halting all wind energy development — a sudden change that reverses longstanding federal policy and is inconsistent with recent federal action propping up other forms of energy."

"The Wind Directive has stopped most wind-energy development in its tracks, despite the fact that wind energy is a homegrown source of reliable, affordable energy that supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, creates billions of dollars in economic activity and tax payments, and supplies more than 10 percent of the country's electricity," the lawsuit says.

The attorneys general are asking the court to declare the president's directive illegal and "prevent the Administration from taking any action to delay or prevent wind energy development," which is the key method lawmakers are depending on to meet carbon emission reduction requirements enshrined in state law.

The 101-page lawsuit also alleges that the halt on federal permitting associated with offshore wind power violates federal laws "that prescribe specific procedures and timelines for federal permitting and approvals - procedures the Administration wholly disregarded in stopping wind-energy development altogether."

"Massachusetts has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into offshore wind to ensure our residents have access to well-paying green jobs and reliable, affordable energy that helps meet our clean energy and climate goals," Campbell said in a statement. "The President's attempts to stop homegrown wind energy development directly contradict his claims that there is a growing need for reliable domestic energy. My colleagues and I will continue to challenge this administration's unlawful actions to chill investment and growth of this critical industry."

The suit was filed by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.