U.S. states sue federal government over wind energy

Several U.S. states are stepping up legal action against the federal government over its decision to cancel leases for offshore wind farms. In exchange for the permits being cancelled, developers were paid.

According to RenewablesNow, the lawsuits target agreements that would lead to the termination of four offshore wind projects. Specifically, seven U.S. states, including New York, have launched legal proceedings challenging agreements between the U.S. Department of the Interior and offshore wind developers Invenergy and Bluepoint Wind. If the agreements take effect, they would cancel four offshore wind projects in exchange for payments totaling approximately USD 1.4 billion.

California then filed a separate lawsuit challenging the USD 111 million buyout of Invenergy’s lease for the Morro Bay wind energy area off the state’s central coast. The state argues that the agreement violates several federal laws and is asking the court to overturn it.

These latest legal actions follow the states’ announcement in July that they intended to sue. The states argue that the agreements improperly use taxpayer money while potentially limiting their ability to develop additional power generation amid rising energy demand.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said the agreements would redirect public funds to fossil fuel projects while undermining efforts to expand clean energy supplies. California Attorney General Rob Bonta similarly argued that the Morro Bay agreement could harm the offshore wind industry and create further obstacles to developing new sources of electricity.