Wind farms trumped Trump in the courts
Work has resumed on three major offshore wind farms in the US after the Trump administration tried to scupper them.
In December, Ørsted, Equinor, and Dominion Energy were forced to pause work on their multibillion-dollar, east coast windfarms following a suspension order issued by the US Interior Department.
Citing “reasons of national security” for the forced pause, the order was one of the more aggressive moves from the Trump administration in its campaign against green energy.
However, federal judges have now blocked the suspension order, giving energy companies the green light to resume work on the projects. One of them is Vineyard Wind 1. Located off the coast of Massachusetts, it was 95% complete when the suspension order was issued and is due to come online in March.
“Again, federal judges have sided with the American people and dealt a blow to Trump’s campaign to cancel nearly complete offshore wind projects,” said Nancy Pyne, senior advisor on offshore wind for the Sierra Club, an environmental organisation.
“[These projects will] allow families across the coast to receive clean energy that doesn’t poison the air or jack up their already sky-high energy bills.”
Image: Nicholas Doherty
