Attorney General Bonta: Trump Administration Waves the White Flag, Abandons Effort to Indefinitely Pause the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting of Wind Projects

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today celebrated a final victory after the Trump Administration abandoned its effort to indefinitely pause all permitting and approval activities related to onshore or offshore wind energy projects through a “Day One” Presidential Wind Memorandum. In May 2025, California and a multistate coalition filed a lawsuit challenging the Wind Memorandum and in December, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a judgment in favor of the multistate coalition, declaring the challenged section of the Presidential Wind Memorandum unlawful and vacating it in its entirety. While the Trump Administration initially appealed the order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, last week the Administration reversed course and filed a motion to dismiss its appeal. Today's judgment granting the voluntary dismissal of the United States’ appeal cements the states’ victory and is the final resolution of this matter.

“As energy costs soar, the Trump Administration illegally attempted to halt the leasing and permitting of wind energy projects, even though wind energy is a source of clean, reliable, and affordable energy. California and our sister states went to court to stop this unlawful overreach, and in the end, the Trump Administration waved the white flag,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today’s victory is a major win for American families, clearing the way for investments that will create jobs, expand access to affordable energy, and help reduce the burden of rising utility costs on households across this country. California and its sister states will continue to hold the President and his Administration accountable when they break the law.”

BACKGROUND: 

On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Memorandum that, among other things, indefinitely halted all federal approvals necessary for the development of offshore and onshore wind energy projects pending an indefinite federal review of wind leasing and permitting practices. Pursuant to this directive, federal agencies stopped all permitting and approval activities related to onshore or offshore wind energy projects. 

In addition to relying on onshore wind energy, California currently has five federal offshore wind leases off its coast: two are located in federal waters off Humboldt County’s coast, while the remaining three are off the coast of Morro Bay. These new offshore wind developments are designed to bring substantial amounts of clean energy to the grid, including enough to power 1.6 million homes and potentially more. The President’s directive would have derailed the progress of these offshore wind projects and threatened the transition to clean energy; it also threatened to increase consumer energy costs, jeopardized thousands of union jobs, and risked economic harm to the local workforce and California ports.

In May 2025, Attorney General Bonta joined a multistate coalition in suing the Administration, alleging that the President’s memorandum was illegal and would harm states’ efforts to secure reliable, diversified, and affordable sources of energy to meet the increasing demand for electricity. Wind power helps to reduce harmful air emissions, meet clean energy goals, and address climate change. The directive also presented a looming threat to the states’ significant investments in wind industry infrastructure, supply chains, and workforce development — investments that already total in the billions of dollars. On December 18, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a judgment in favor of the multistate coalition, declaring the challenged section of the Presidential Wind Memorandum to be unlawful and vacating it in its entirety. 

Today’s judgment by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit grants the Trump Administration’s motion to dismiss its appeal of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts judgment invalidating the “Day One” Presidential Wind Memorandum, thereby leaving the district court’s judgment undisturbed and constituting the final resolution of this matter in favor of the multistate coalition.