Trump is losing his war on wind power

A federal court in the District of Oregon ordered the US Department of Defense to resume its review process for wind energy projects that checks for radar interference. As reported, Judge Karin Immergut — herself a Trump appointee — issued the preliminary injunction on Thursday, August 6, 2026, in a lawsuit filed by trade associations, wind energy companies, and environmental groups.

Since August 2025, the Defense Department had gradually stopped executing reviews that let it compel developers to alter projects to limit interference with radar equipment. In April 2026, officials cancelled mitigation negotiations with applicants, and in May issued guidance reassessing the process for projects causing "impactful Doppler interference." Plaintiffs say the effective freeze left at least 125 utility-scale wind projects across 25 states in limbo. Judge Immergut ruled the freeze "violates statutory and regulatory deadlines" and ordered the DoD to resume reviews, reporting back to the court on its progress every 30 days while the broader case proceeds. Government lawyers cited national security concerns — an "evolving global threat-picture" and "adversarial capabilities" — but at a Tuesday hearing couldn't name a single wind project actually under review at that point.

“Today's win is a victory for the rule of law, and continues the string of successful legal efforts to block the Trump Administration's attacks on clean energy.”

— Joshua Berman, Senior Attorney, Sierra Club

• At least 125 utility-scale wind projects across 25 states were left in limbo
• The freeze ran from August 2025, escalating in April and May 2026
• The Defense Department must now report progress to the court every 30 days

Separately, 18 state attorneys general are pursuing their own lawsuit against the same policy. The ruling lands amid rising power demand from AI data centers — we've covered how a single AI chatbot query burns as much power as a lightbulb running for half an hour, meaning the very capacity the Pentagon's freeze was holding back could have helped close a widening gap between energy demand and supply.

None of this should be read as personalized investment advice.