A federal judge has lifted the stop-work order for the offshore wind project halted off the coast of Rhode Island, a major blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to stall the development of offshore wind.
The stop-work order had been in place for about a month, pausing construction of the Revolution Wind project, which was estimated to be about 80% complete.
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At the time, the Interior Department accused the project developers of rushing through the permitting process and failing to reach an agreement with the Department of War, formerly the Department of Defense, over national security concerns.
Danish developer Orsted quickly pushed back against the stop-work order, accusing it of being unlawful. Orsted, along with its project partner Skyborn Renewables, filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia earlier this month, asking the court to lift the pause.
The company said it was losing more than $2 million per day due to the stop-work order and insisted the project had already gone through proper reviews regarding national security concerns.
District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled in the renewable companies’ favor on Monday.
During a court hearing, the federal judge lambasted the administration’s order, calling it the “height of arbitrary and capricious actions,” according to Reuters.
Lamberth, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, also said all the things the Interior Department said it wished to review had already been covered in a “multi-year, multi-agency review.”
“If Revolution Wind cannot meet benchmark deadlines, the entire project could collapse,” the judge said. “There is no doubt in my mind of irreparable harm to the plaintiffs.”
TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON OFFSHORE WIND LEAVES LITTLE CERTAINTY FOR INDUSTRY
Following the ruling, Orsted said the project would resume construction “as soon as possible, with safety as the top priority.”
The Trump administration is permitted to appeal the decision. President Donald Trump has vowed to block the construction of any new wind turbines under his second presidency.