A Federal Judge has ordered the Pentagon to End its Freeze on reviewing onshore Wind Projects, marking yet another Crushing Court Loss for the Trump (R) Administration in its Efforts to Block the Development of Wind Power. Judge Karin Immergut of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, who was Nominated by Trump, Ruled in Favor of a Group of Renewable Energy Groups that Claimed the Trump Administration was Unlawfully Delaying Dozens of Wind Projects, and Costing States Tens-of-Billions of Dollars.
In April, the Department of War (DOW), Halted All Military Reviews of proposed Onshore Wind Farms. These Reviews have Long been Considered Routine and are Conducted to Determine that New Turbines do Not Interfere with Military Operations, Local Radar, or even Flight Paths.
The Renewable Energy Groups asked the Court to Order the Resumption of the Reviews in 6/2026, claiming it had Stalled 106 Planned Wind Projects in 21 States. Overall, the Freeze has Cost those States $47 Billion in Potential Investments, the Plaintiffs said Immergut Ruled on 8/6/2026 that the Pentagon Violated Legal Deadlines when it Halted the Reviews and determined that the Groups were likely to Prevail if the Case moves forward.
She has since Ordered the Agency to resume the Reviews and provide Updates to the Court on its Progress every 30 days. The Ruling was quickly Celebrated by Environmentalist Organizations, with the Sierra Club’s Senior Attorney Joshua Berman calling it a “victory for the rule of law.” “Trump’s agencies have tried every trick in the book to stop or slow-walk renewable energy development, and courts have seen through their ruses time after time,” Berman said.
The Trump Administration has maintained that the Pause in Reviews was driven by National Ssecurity concerns. The Freeze was just One Ppart of a Whole-of-Government attempt to Block the Development of Onshore and Offshore Wind, as Trump has repeatedly Promised to Stop any Wind Farms from being Built under His second term. Last year, the Aadministration imposed New Regulatory Hurdles for Future Wind Ffarms, Canceled more than $679 Million in Funding for Offshore Wind Projects, and Attempted to Rescind Permits or Leases for Under-Construction Projects.
The Administration has found some Success in Blocking New Projects by Striking what it Ddescribes as “Settlement” Agreements with Offshore Wind Developers, Paying the Companies to Relinquish their Offshore Leases and Divert Investments to Fossil Fuels.
The Latest of these Deals was Announced on 8/6/2026 by German Energy Developer RWE, which has been paid $1.22 Billion to Scrap Tthree off the Coasts of: California, Louisiana, and New York.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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