Dominion Energy's wind turbines located 27 miles off of Virginia Beach in the Atlantic Ocean on July 17, 2023. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
"You want to see a bird graveyard? … Go under a windmill someday. You’ll see more birds than you’ve ever seen ever in your life," Trump said at a rally in 2019.
Trump has also alleged that states relying more heavily on wind and solar power are seeing electricity and energy costs go up.
On the first day of his second term in office, Trump signed a presidential memorandum temporarily blocking all coastal areas from taking on any new offshore wind energy leases. The memorandum ordered a government-wide review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices and instructed federal agencies to indefinitely stop issuing new or renewed permits or loans for wind projects pending an assessment by the Department of the Interior.
HOUSE GOP MOVES TO CEMENT TRUMP ENERGY AGENDA BY TAKING SLEDGEHAMMER TO BIDEN-ERA REGULATIONS
Climate activists attend a rally to end fossil fuels, in New York, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)
The DOJ lawyers said that with the emergence of artificial intelligence and "geopolitical uncertainty" in the energy sector, domestic energy production was crucial and that Trump had valid concerns with wind energy, in particular.
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"To ensure federally permitted wind energy production may continue in a reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible manner, President Trump directed federal agencies to temporarily refrain from issuing wind energy permitting authorizations while the Department of the Interior leads a review of federal wind energy permitting and development practices," the lawyers said.
The appeal was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. The next step in the process is for the appellate court to set deadlines for the administration and plaintiffs' to submit arguments before deciding how to proceed.
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/justice-department-fights-back-after-federal-judge-blocks-trumps-wind-energy-freeze