Boston appeals court tosses Trump memo on offshore wind, letting federal permitting continue

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 17, 2026

The Trump administration is running out of legal paths to block offshore wind development, after the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed its appeal seeking to overturn a federal judge’s ruling. The lawsuit hinges on a first-day memo issued by the Trump administration in January 2025, indefinitely pausing federal reviews and approvals for offshore wind projects. Many of the projects in the pipeline had been in the works for years, with developers making substantial financial investments, and state officials and energy regulators shaping environmental and economic forecasts around the massive projects. A separate lawsuit filed in D.C. federal court in June by seven states, including Rhode Island and Maine, also takes aim at the Trump administration’s tactics to suppress offshore wind projects. The complaint challenges the deal under which the Trump administration offered $1 billion to French company TotalEnergies to walk away from two offshore wind projects it had planned.