Environmental groups back lawsuit against Department of Defense freeze on wind energy projects

(WASHINGTON – June 18, 2026) Today, eight environmental groups filed a brief in support of renewable energy groups urging the U.S. District Court in Oregon to order the Department of Defense to end its freeze on national security reviews for onshore wind energy projects.

According to the renewable energy groups’ challenge, over 100 wind projects in 25 states have been impacted by these delays – enough to power millions of American homes annually. These projects represent $47 billion in investment and 120,000 jobs.

Wind projects have long undergone routine review for national security considerations before construction, including during the first Trump administration. The Department of Defense has not offered any meaningful explanation for halting legally mandated national security reviews, nor has it offered a timeline for when reviews will resume.

“The Department of Defense is misusing a critical review process to block an enormous amount of clean, affordable power from connecting to the grid – just as Americans are struggling with rising electricity bills,” said Ted Kelly, Director and Lead Counsel for U.S. Clean Energy at Environmental Defense Fund. 

“Freezing wind permits indefinitely as power demand is skyrocketing is a recipe for higher energy costs, a weaker grid and greater reliance on polluting, expensive energy sources like coal. 

“This challenge is about making sure the national security review process remains thorough, transparent, and timely, so it can continue delivering what it has for years: a reliable framework that supports America's energy security.”

This new filing arrives on the heels of recent court wins for clean energy:

• Earlier this week, a federal court rejected the Department of the Interior’s efforts to end a lawsuit challenging heightened federal reviews targeting wind and solar projects. Interior just filed an appeal to the decision.
• Last week, the Department of Justice abandoned its appeal of a December 2025 ruling that struck down the President’s sweeping executive order banning wind project permitting.
• And earlier this year, courts struck down all five of the Administration’s unlawful stop-work orders attempting to block offshore wind projects already under construction.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to pay energy developers billions in taxpayer dollars to abandon their offshore wind leases, including a new deal yesterday to cancel offshore wind projects off the coasts of New York, Maine and California.