Saris ruled in favor of a coalition of state attorneys general from 17 states that challenged Trump’s day one order that paused leasing and permitting for wind energy projects.
The coalition, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington state and Washington, D.C.
The coalition, in opposing the order, argued that the president doesn’t have the authority to halt project permitting, and that doing so jeopardizes the states’ economies, energy mix, public health and climate goals.
The government’s argument was that the states’ claims amount to nothing more than a policy disagreement over preferences for wind versus fossil fuel energy development that is outside the federal court’s jurisdiction.
Wind is the largest source of renewable energy in the US, providing about 10% of the electricity generated in the nation, according to the American Clean Power Association.
