Wind power developers pulled off a hat trick Friday in their fight against the Trump administration, with a third federal judge granting a temporary injunction allowing the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project – the nation’s biggest – to resume construction work.
U.S. District Court Judge Jamar Walker in Virginia granted Dominion Energy’s request, acting on the company’s lawsuit that a Dec. 22 stop-work order from the Department of Interior was “arbitrary and illegal” in shutting down the 2.3 gigawatt project.
The 176-turbine array was on schedule to begin delivering power to Dominion’s grid in spring 2026, under a construction and operations plan approved by Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management during the Biden administration.
Upon returning to office Jan. 20, President Trump immediately directed executive branch agencies to pull back on permitting for offshore wind, acting on his campaign promise to stop projects “on day one.”
For 11 months the administration and wind developers were in seesawing legal battles in federal courts. On Dec. 22 Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced that wind projects were being suspended for 90 days, citing unspecified “national security” risks.
In Virginia Judge Walker heard closed-door arguments from the administration and Dominion before issuing the injunction Friday afternoon. It was the third such reversal to the administration’s latest shutdown efforts.
Revolution Wind off southern New England and Empire Wind off New York both won similar reprieves. Still unresolved are stoppages imposed on Vineyard Wind and Sunrise Wind.
