Judge orders DOD to end blockade of wind energy projects

A federal judge issued an injunction Thursday that forced the Defense Department to resume processing applications for wind energy projects.

The Pentagon gets to review major energy projects to see if they could harm military interests.

The Trump Pentagon began slow-walking reviews last summer, then, this May, put wind turbine projects on hold, citing the dangers of “doppler interference” that could hinder drone detection.

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee in Colorado, said that halt likely violated the law, which sets out clear deadlines for the review to take place.

She issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Defense Department to restart the review process and to report back on projects in the pipeline.

“If DoD wishes to alter the statutory scheme, it can ask Congress to do so,” the judge wrote.

The department cited a “dramatic change” in drone capabilities as the reason for its reticence in approving wind energy projects. It said the Ukraine-Russia war has made clear that no target is beyond reach, necessitating the pullback on approvals.

Wind turbines can blind radars to drones’ signals, the department said.

Environmental organizations and wind energy trade groups sued in May.

Judge Immergut said the law gives the department 75 days to finish a preliminary review. As of late July, no review had been completed since the Pentagon issued its new halt on May 7.

She also said the department violated another 90-day deadline, set in regulations, to conduct talks about mitigating any threats to the military from energy projects.

The Pentagon’s slowdown is part of a broader antipathy to wind energy by the Trump administration.

President Trump has repeatedly declared them a loss and a drain.

“Any country with windmills is a loser,” he told reporters this week after making the same point for years.