New Jersey joins multistate lawsuit against Trump Administration over wind energy freeze

TRENTON — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin joined 17 other attorneys general Monday in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration, challenging a sweeping executive order that indefinitely halts the development of wind energy projects across the United States.

The legal action follows a Jan. 20 presidential memorandum issued by President Donald Trump that suspends all federal approvals for both offshore and onshore wind energy development. The directive, which has already stalled a permitted project in New York mid-construction, has triggered immediate pushback from state officials and clean energy advocates.

“As New Jersey moves toward achieving 100 percent clean electricity sales by 2035, wind energy plays a crucial role in that vision,” said Gov. Phil Murphy in a statement. “Wind energy has the potential to generate thousands of good-paying jobs, reduce harmful emissions and secure a healthier, more sustainable future for all New Jerseyans.”

Platkin condemned the federal freeze, calling it a politically motivated move that prioritizes fossil fuel interests over environmental progress.

“It is deeply disappointing that the Trump Administration is illegally attempting to block our state from developing new sources of power,” Platkin said. “We are standing up for working families, for our environment and for the jobs being killed by this unlawful action.”

The lawsuit, filed in federal court, argues that the memorandum violates the Administrative Procedure Act and other federal laws by abruptly reversing longstanding policy without adequate justification or public input. It also claims the move undermines billions of dollars in clean energy investments and threatens to derail states’ climate goals.

Wind power currently supplies more than 10 percent of U.S. electricity, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and generating billions in tax revenue and economic activity. In New Jersey, wind development is seen as a key pillar in the state’s broader energy transition.

With rising utility costs and increasing demand for renewable energy, Murphy’s administration has aggressively pursued wind infrastructure, seeing it as critical to energy diversification and long-term affordability.

Joining New Jersey in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of New York, California, Massachusetts, Oregon and 13 other states, as well as the District of Columbia. Together, the coalition is seeking to compel the federal government to resume permitting and restore regulatory certainty to the wind industry.