The Maryland Attorney General joined 18 other states in suing the Trump Administration over halting wind energy development.
Earlier this week, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its attempt to freeze the development of wind energy.
On January 20, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum that, among other things, indefinitely halted all federal approvals necessary for the development of offshore and onshore wind energy projects pending federal review. Pursuant to this directive, federal agencies have stopped all permitting and approval activities. The Attorney General‘s office touts wind energy as a “homegrown source of reliable, affordable energy that supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, creates billions of dollars in economic activity and tax payments, and supplies more than 10% of the country’s electricity.”
According to the press release,
“The Trump Administration’s outrageous and unlawful freeze on wind energy development is nothing short of a direct assault on Maryland’s future climate security and economic prosperity. Wind power provides hardworking Marylanders with well-paying jobs, strengthens our power grid, and helps us fight the increasingly devastating impacts of climate change,” said Attorney General Brown. “With this lawsuit, we are protecting the livelihoods of thousands of families and standing firm against President Trump’s reckless attack on an industry that offers to secure reliable, affordable, and clean energy for every Marylander.”
The attorneys general allege that the President’s directive harms their states’ efforts to secure reliable, diversified, and affordable sources of energy to meet increasing demand for electricity and help reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants, meet clean energy goals, and address climate change. The directive also threatens to thwart the states’ significant investments in wind industry infrastructure, supply chains, and workforce development—investments that already total billions of dollars.
