Trump’s Renewable Energy Crackdown Hits Legal Wall

By Felicity Bradstock - May 03, 2026

• A federal judge ruled that requiring personal approval for all wind and solar projects was unlawful and harmful to public interests.
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• The policy had already delayed or threatened over 57 GW of renewable capacity and billions in investment.
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• The decision marks the latest in a string of court rulings pushing back against federal attempts to curb clean energy growth.

Over the last year, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken aim at the renewable energy industry, in an attempt to scale back efforts to undergo a green transition. Trump has instead favoured the expansion of the oil, gas, and coal industries, as well as the development of nuclear power. However, the move has been met with significant public and legal pushback, as it becomes clear that halting the rollout of renewable energy will not be so simple.

In April, federal judge Denise J Casper in Massachusetts rejected the Trump administration's efforts to halt renewable energy deployment. The judge ruled that the requirement for the Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum, to personally approve all solar and wind energy projects on federal lands and waters was unlawful. Casper agreed that the Trump administration’s actions likely violate federal statute and would cause irreparable harm if the court did not intervene.

The Trump administration previously said that greater oversight was required for new projects to counteract the preferential treatment of renewable energy that was seen under the Biden administration. It gave Burgum permission to review and veto issues such as proposed leases to rights of way, construction and operational plans, grants, and biological opinions. As part of the ruling, Casper issued a preliminary injunction to prevent the government from implementing this policy.

The lawsuit was launched in December by a coalition of regional wind and solar developers, including the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, MAREC Action, Southern Renewable Energy Association, Clean Grid Alliance, Interwest Energy Alliance, Renewable Northwest, Carolinas Clean Energy Business Association, Renew Northeast and Green Energy Consumers Alliance.

The coalition feared the policy could threaten the development of solar and wind projects. The members argued that Burgum favoured fossil fuels and aimed to delay renewable energy development to enhance the position of oil and gas. The lawsuit challenged six final agency actions that relegated wind and solar technologies to “second-class status”.

The challenged actions include:

• The DOI “review procedures” memo, which made 68 specific permitting actions subject to review by Burgum;
• A ban on the use of the Information for Planning and Consultation website by solar and wind developers before their projects are reviewed;
• The DOI “land order,” which significantly restricted the development of wind and solar projects on federal land.
• An Army Corps’ memo that instructs the agency to prioritise its permit reviews for high-capacity density projects; and
• The Zerzan M-opinion, which essentially bans new offshore wind projects.

The Trump administration’s attack on renewable energy over the last year has resulted in the delay or cancellation of approximately 57.2 GW of wind, solar, hybrid, and offshore wind capacity across projects with around $905 million in capital invested. The government’s renewable energy restrictions put between $8.4 billion and $25.6 billion of federal tax credits for renewable energy development at risk over the next three years, according to Judge Casper.

Casper stated, “Plaintiffs have shown that the public interest favours preliminary relief from the Agency Actions because the Agency Actions ‘harm the public by delaying and preventing the development of wind and solar energy projects in the United States, which in turn threatens the public’s vital interest in maintaining a reliable, affordable, and resilient power grid, which is currently struggling to meet record energy demand.’”

The plaintiffs said that the ruling marked a positive step towards developing more affordable energy options for U.S. consumers. “Clean energy is fast, affordable and here to stay… We look forward to getting back to work and restarting the impacted wind and solar projects nationwide,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the managing director for power at the Natural Resources Defence Council, Kit Kennedy, stated, “The administration should take the hint and stop these illegal attacks on projects that will help meet surging electricity demand and bring down costs for consumers.”

The ruling comes just three months after a court ruled in favour of the ongoing development of offshore wind projects. In January, a U.S. federal court granted a preliminary injunction permitting the construction of the Revolution Wind offshore wind project to restart. This move temporarily blocked suspension orders issued by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in late 2025. 

Then, in February, a federal judge threw out the Interior Department’s halt work order on a multibillion-dollar wind farm off the coast of New York State, marking the fifth time that U.S. courts ruled against Trump administration efforts to stop offshore wind development.

However, Trump has previously been known to throw money at the problem to make it go away. Following the court rulings in favour of offshore wind development, the Trump administration offered France’s TotalEnergies almost $1 billion to permanently halt its wind projects. This makes one wonder how Trump will respond to the latest ruling on his administration’s policies attacking renewable energy development. While the ruling could help provide temporary relief for green energy developers, the Trump administration is unlikely to back down on its efforts to quash green energy development. 

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com