A federal judge in April ordered the Interior Department to lift the lockdown while a lawsuit led by industry groups progressed through the courts, but the agency appealed the decision in June. Industry groups and wind power developers filed suit in May against the Pentagon’s permit freeze, arguing that the Pentagon’s delays could threaten the viability of certain projects by missing deadlines for finalizing expiring federal tax credits and interconnecting to the power grid.
Nineteen attorneys general, all Democrats, intervened in the case Thursday, joining the industry in filing a motion seeking a court injunction against the Pentagon’s freeze. The motion argues that the Department of Defense’s delaying tactics could harm grid reliability, energy affordability, climate goals, jobs, and undermine national sovereignty.
The Department of Defense’s process is certainly intended to screen wind energy projects for national security risks. After review, it is not uncommon for developers to take certain mitigation measures as directed by the military.
“For more than a decade, the Department of Defense has been committed to a predictable review process and worked with developers to alleviate potential concerns, according to a news release from Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office. “Wind energy projects across the country are frozen at various stages of the review process, including those that have already completed mitigation negotiations and are awaiting final approval from the Department of Defense. ”
