According to a report by The Guardian in the UK on September 22, the Democratic Attorney General from California and New York has sued the Trump administration for planning to repurchase wind power leasing rights. Trump is attempting to hinder the expansion of wind energy and instead support fossil fuels.
California State Attorney General Rob Bonta stated that the reason he filed the lawsuit is because the Trump administration canceled a project that Invenergy, based in Chicago, was planning to build off the coast of California. In June this year, the Trump administration announced that it would repurchase the federal lease rights for the company’s four offshore wind power projects on the east and west coasts.
Meanwhile, New York State Attorney General Letitia James led seven states in filing lawsuits to prevent the Trump administration from completing deals with Invenergy, as well as another proposal involving Bluepoint Wind. It is understood that Bluepoint Wind agreed to terminate its plan to develop a wind farm off the coasts of New York and New Jersey in April.
According to reports, the Trump administration will pay energy companies $1.4 billion in taxpayer funds in exchange for them canceling several projects. Overall, the Trump administration has promised to pay nearly $4 billion to various businesses in exchange for them abandoning projects across the country.
Before the Interior Department began repurchasing wind power leasing rights in March, federal courts prevented Trump from using executive actions to halt wind power development.
As a condition for returning rental fees, related companies are investing in fossil fuel and geothermal energy projects. Interior Minister Doug Burgum has stated that these companies "are redirecting investment towards reliable, secure energy infrastructure that can drive our economy and reduce utility costs."
James said that these transactions are illegal, and stated that they will ultimately increase electricity costs for Americans, as these transactions weaken states' ability to meet the growing demand for energy.
James said in a statement: “Americans are facing rising energy costs because the current government prefers to pay energy companies rather than investing in new power generation facilities that are necessary for us. These illegal deals take money that could have been used to reduce electricity bills for New Yorkers and transfer it to fossil fuel projects in other states.”
Bonta said that as a national and global leader in addressing climate change, California finds itself caught up in a 'avoidable and unnecessary struggle' with the federal government, in order to promote climate action and move towards clean energy.
Bonta said on the 22nd, shortly before Trump delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly: "Because every time we have to go to court to stop the illegal actions of the Trump administration, and this takes time. This slows down the process, and we know that time is running out. We need to act urgently and proactively."
He added, “In California, we are still going all out. No matter what the Trump administration does, we will promote and participate in the climate actions that are necessary to address current challenges and overcome difficulties.”
Trump once stated that his goal is to prevent the construction of any "wind turbines".
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President Dorin Harris said that they all believe they will ultimately win the case in court, but states still need energy infrastructure to maintain a reliable power grid.
Harris said, "The reality is that even if we succeed, the issue will still be who will invest." She also said, "We just want to get back to building things."
Previously, on June 2nd, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced that the attorneys general of New York, along with Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, and six other states, would sue the federal government over an agreement struck between the Trump administration and TotalEnergies. The agreement involves canceling TotalEnergies’ lease for offshore wind power operations off the coast of New York State in exchange for a refund of approximately $928 million, as well as a commitment to invest in fossil fuel projects.
