The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts Tuesday ruled in favor of Vineyard Wind, a massive offshore wind project south of the coast of Nantucket. The developer had sought a preliminary injunction, which the court granted, while its lawsuit against the federal government plays out in court. The ruling was issued by Judge Brian E. Murphy, appointed by President Biden in 2014. In December, the Trump administration announced it was pausing offshore wind leases pending a review of the projects’ impacts on national security, which effectively halted any development on the projects.
Multiple reports from various federal agencies over the past few years have found that the clutter from offshore wind blades and turbines causes interference to radar. This lowers the ability of radar to identify targets on the water, and it creates false targets around the projects.
The administration’s action impacted five offshore wind projects that are currently under construction, and all five of the developers of those projects filed lawsuits against the federal government. Four have been granted preliminary injunctions allowing construction to proceed while the cases make their way through the courts, and one hasn’t been heard in court.
Troubled project
Vineyard Wind is the same project that experienced a catastrophic blade failure in the summer of 2024, which littered the beaches of Nantucket with shards of debris for months. The developer came under fire for failing to communicate with the community about the accident, as well as to live up to agreements it had signed with the local government.
The Nantucket Select Board had sent a list of 15 demands to the developer. To the chagrin of opponents, the board signed a new agreement with the developer in December, and only one of those demands was fully met in the new agreement.
Earlier this month, Nantucket-based ACK4Whales and two local businesses filed a lawsuit against federal agencies, arguing that when the Department of Interior and other agencies under former President Joe Biden approved the Vineyard Wind project, they ignored the impact on radar disruption the project would have on civil aviation and national defense.
In so doing, the lawsuit argues, the Biden-Harris administration violated the Offshore Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and the Administrative Procedures Act. Both businesses claim to have experienced serious losses as a result of the project. A favorable decision for the plaintiffs, the lawsuit explains, would redress the economic harms suffered by these and other businesses that have been impacted by Vineyard Wind.
Not surprising but disappointing: “The scam of the century”
Amy DiSibio, board member of ACK4Whales, told Just the News that Tuesday’s ruling on Vineyard Wind isn’t surprising, but it is disappointing. “If the Trump administration really wanted to shut this down for national security reasons, I believe they have the ability to do so. But they may need to go through the courts and go through the process, which makes sense,” DiSibio said.
It’s not clear if the Trump administration plans to appeal the ruling on Vineyard Wind or any of the other projects that were granted preliminary injunctions. In a statement emailed to Just the News, Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman, said that the administration is expecting to ultimately prevail against the project developers’ lawsuits.
“President Trump has been clear: wind energy is the scam of the century. For years, Americans have been forced to pay billions more for the least reliable source of energy. The Trump administration has paused the construction of all large-scale offshore wind projects because our number one priority is to put America first and protect the national security of the American people,” Rogers said.
Vineyard Wind’s complaint
In its complaint, Vineyard Wind calls the Trump administration’s claims of a threat to national security as “vague and undefined.” The administration, according to the complaint, has refused to identify the national-security threat posed by the project or discuss possible mitigation measures.
Therefore, Vineyard Wind argues, the order is arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, contrary to law and should be set aside. The developer says its project does not threaten national security, and the Trump administration’s actions are causing the company to lose approximately $2 million per day. Due to contracts for specialized vessels used in the construction, as well as financing requirements, the project could potentially face irreparable harm from the order, Vineyard Wind argues.
The lawsuit states that the project is 95% complete and “partially operational.” It claims it has the “capacity to produce 572 megawatts,” but it’s not clear if that’s how much of that total capacity it’s actually producing. Since wind energy is intermittent and falls to zero when there’s no wind blowing, its actual generation is lower than its total capacity.
The lawsuit also claims that it can power approximately 400,000 homes. However, households require always-on electricity, so it’s unclear how the developer arrived at that number. Since the project will produce no power when there’s no wind, homes would need some other energy source to back up the intermittent electricity from Vineyard Wind.
