This decision is good for clean energy, good for investment certainty, and good for the rule of law. Photo: Ecophotography
December 19, 2025 (Boston, MA) – A final judgment issued by a federal court formally invalidates the implementation of the Trump administration’s moratorium on offshore wind permitting. Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) and other environmental groups filed a legal brief in State of New York v. Trump in support of state and industry efforts to overturn the moratorium.
“This final judgment is a clear and sound repudiation of a blatantly unlawful maneuver by the Trump administration,” said Kate Sinding Daly, senior vice president for law and policy at CLF. “This case is about more than wind energy. Businesses across all sectors need confidence that permits to operate are stable, predictable, and grounded in law, not subject to political whims. This decision is good for clean energy, good for investment certainty, and good for the rule of law.”
Judge Patti Saris’s December 18 order vacates the federal agency actions that followed and enforced the moratorium, and requires the federal government to resume processing offshore wind permit applications. While the judgment does not compel the government to issue any specific permits or impose timelines, it restores the lawful permitting process that the administration sought to freeze.
Saris’s judgment also means that in the event the agencies do not start processing permits, the plaintiffs can come back to the court to seek further relief.
Saris rejected the Trump administration’s order to halt new wind projects in a ruling issued December 8.
The administration can appeal the decision.
The final decision can be read here.
CLF experts are available for comment.
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