Key facts
- A US District Court in Oregon has ordered the government to restart the process for approving wind projects.
- All new wind development in the US has been on hold since August 2025.
- The Department of Defense (DoD) stopped participating in a mandated process to negotiate radar interference issues with developers.
- The court ruled that the DoD's national security claims did not allow it to opt out of the legally mandated process.
A US District Court in Oregon has mandated that the US government must resume the process of approving wind projects. New wind development across the country has been stalled since August 2025, when the Department of Defense (DoD) ceased its involvement in a legally required procedure. This process allows the government to compel wind developers to alter their projects to mitigate interference with radar equipment.
The court determined that the DoD's assertions of national security risks were insufficient grounds to withdraw from this mandated process. The Trump administration had previously attempted to block both offshore and land-based wind development, including similar arguments about drone developments and radar interference posing national security threats. These claims were not well-received by the courts, even when judges reviewed classified DoD reports used to justify blocking offshore wind construction.