ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS’ AMICUS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR STAY OR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

The brief contends that the Department of Defense is violating the Administrative Procedure Act and statutory obligations by refusing to conduct reviews for over 100 utility-scale wind projects. It argues this freeze is a pretext for the Trump Administration's animus toward wind energy, which will result in increased electricity prices, higher pollution levels, and greater greenhouse gas emissions.

• The Department of Defense has effectively enacted a de facto ban on new wind energy by stopping the review of projects for impacts on military operations, which prevents developers from obtaining necessary federal clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
• The review freeze impacts more than 100 planned onshore wind projects representing approximately 30,000 megawatts (MW) of capacity, with an additional 16,000 MW likely to be affected. These projects could have produced 144 terawatt-hours of electricity annually by 2031, enough to power roughly 10% of U.S. households.
• The freeze is projected to cause severe public health and environmental damage through 2031, including an estimated 4,900 additional premature deaths, 7,500 extra emergency room visits, and the emission of 414 million metric tons of additional carbon dioxide.
• The brief argues the Department's action is unlawful because it contravenes 10 U.S.C. § 183a, which requires the Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse to conduct preliminary reviews within 75 days and only object to projects that result in an 'unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States'.
• The brief asserts that the Department's stated reasons for the freeze—citing 'evolving risks' and the need for 'comprehensive review'—are pretextual and hide an improper motive driven by President Trump's personal dislike of wind turbines.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2026). ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS’ AMICUS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR STAY OR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/18200332/DN-22-1-ENGO-Wind-Amicus-Brief.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS’ AMICUS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR STAY OR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION. 2026. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/18200332/DN-22-1-ENGO-Wind-Amicus-Brief.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS’ AMICUS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR STAY OR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION |date=18 June 2026 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/18200332/DN-22-1-ENGO-Wind-Amicus-Brief.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2026environmental, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS’ AMICUS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR STAY OR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/18200332/DN-22-1-ENGO-Wind-Amicus-Brief.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }