Administration Seeks to Reconsider Offshore Wind Permit; Pentagon Advances Some Wind Projects
The Trump administration is asking a federal judge to let it reconsider a major permit for a large offshore wind farm, while a White House official said an initial set of Pentagon-reviewed wind projects has been released.
The Trump administration is asking a federal judge for permission to reconsider a major federal permit granted for a large offshore wind farm, according to ABC News. The network's report said the request makes it the fourth project the Republican leadership has targeted in recent months. The report did not describe the legal grounds the administration cited or any ruling by the judge.
Separately, The Hill reported that the Trump administration is advancing some wind projects after a court order required it to do so. Reporter Rachel Frazin wrote that a White House official said Thursday that an initial set of wind projects under Pentagon review has been released. According to the official, the set represents two projects, one located in Maine and one in South Dakota. The summary of the report ends before the official's remarks on the Defense Department are complete, so those remarks are not reported here.
The two reports concern different actions. One involves a permit now before a federal judge, and the other involves Pentagon review of projects following a court order. Neither summary states how the two matters relate, and neither says whether the permit at issue in the first report is among the projects under Pentagon review in the second.
The Hill's headline described the Pentagon action as advancing some wind projects after a freeze. The available summaries do not say how long the freeze lasted, how many projects remain under review, or when further decisions are expected.
Both accounts describe the federal government's handling of wind energy as active and unsettled, with court proceedings and executive review running in parallel. Neither report offers a timetable for what comes next, and the details of the judge's consideration of the permit remain unreported in the material available.
Sources: ABC News: Trump administration wants to reconsider permit for offshore wind project; The Hill: Pentagon advances some wind projects after freeze.