A federal court judge on Monday granted energy company Ørsted a preliminary injunction to resume work on its Revolution Wind turbine array off Rhode Island, lifting an Aug. 22 stop-work order by the Trump administration.
U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth granted the injunction sought by Ørsted and its partner Skyborn Renewables as part of a lawsuit the companies filed after the Department of Interior moved to suspend permits for the 704-megawatt project.
Lamberth called the Trump administration’s explanations for the action “the height of arbitrary and capricious.” Among reasons offered by government lawyers have been undefined threats to national security and allegations the former Biden administration rushed through environmental permitting for the project.
The $6 billion Revolution Wind array is already around 80 percent complete, according to the developers and their supporters including state government officials in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Lamberth’s decision has yet to take the form of a formal court opinion. In a Washington D.C. court hearing granting the preliminary injunction, Lamberth said it was obvious to him “if Revolution Wind cannot meet benchmark deadlines, the entire project could collapse,” Reuters reported.
The Trump administration has been openly aggressive about shutting down all ocean wind power projects. At a Sept. 11 energy conference in Italy, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum declared that “under this administration, there is not a future for offshore wind because it is too expensive and not reliable enough.”
In a statement Ørsted representatives said "Revolution Wind will resume impacted construction work as soon as possible, with safety as the top priority."
“Today’s ruling allowing Revolution Wind to resume work is extremely encouraging for workers and our energy future,” Lamont said. “We will continue to engage with the federal government on a durable path forward for this project and on shared energy priorities.”
Wind industry advocates, battered by the Trump administration’s onslaught in recent weeks, cheered the judicial reprieve form Revolution Wind.
"Today’s decision allowing work to resume on Revolution Wind is welcome news for the hundreds of skilled workers who can now return to their jobs while the legal process continues,” said Liz Burdock, CEO of the industry group Oceantic Network.
“Revolution Wind is critical to securing New England's electric grid, lowering energy costs for businesses and families, strengthening the local supply chain, and achieving energy independence,” said Burdock. “This Made in America energy project is putting Americans to work building reliable, affordable power to communities across New England that desperately need it.”
