A federal court in the United States has found unlawful an executive order by Donald Trump that suspended approval of new wind farms on federal lands and in coastal waters. Judge Patti B. Saris said the administration’s decision lacked sufficient justification and violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires transparency and reasoned decision-making in regulating such projects.
The ban, introduced in January 2025, slowed wind-energy development in several states at once. More than a dozen offshore wind farms were frozen, and some projects were canceled, affecting investment and jobs in the clean-energy sector.
The court ruling has reopened the path for both offshore and onshore wind projects. The lawsuit was filed by a coalition of 17 states and the District of Columbia with the support of the Clean Energy Alliance, and the court sided with them.
Representatives of regions and the industry called the verdict an important step for the development of wind energy, the decarbonization of the economy and U.S. energy independence. According to analysts, political instability may still deter some private investors, and the court cannot force the government to approve projects automatically. Still, the precedent strengthens legal protection for the sector and brings predictability back to the rules.
