This week, California's attorney general and 18 others filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for halting the development of wind energy.
In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily pausing leasing and permitting for offshore wind energy projects in federal waters.
“He cut off the money that was actually our money, the taxpayer money, to the wind companies,” said Jeremiah O’Brien, Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization Vice President.
“This is basically an illegal taking by the federal government, taking back the contracts that have been put in place to allow these companies to move forward and develop offshore wind off our coastline,” said Rep. Salud Carbajal, 24th District.
Back in 2022, the federal government sold leases to three companies for the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area.
“You just can’t undo those transactions and relationships that our federal government has put in motion without having to pay a huge amount of money in damages to these companies,” Rep. Carbajal said.
Because of that order, California’s attorney general, along with 18 other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit on Monday.
In the 101-page court document, it states Trump’s order threatens, “…the viability of proposed and future wind-energy generation projects in California. Those wind-energy projects would deliver economic benefits; reduce air pollution, including in areas in nonattainment of federal and state air quality standards, by stalling the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources; and improve grid reliability through increased diversification of energy sources.”
Carbajal says clean energy is what California needs.
“We know the urgency of climate change and the need to address emissions in our state, and this is one way of doing that,” he said.
But some feel the state is moving too fast with its clean energy goals.
“They are going too fast and without understanding what’s necessary, not only for the goals but what’s necessary for the infrastructure to support the goals,” O’Brien said.
KSBY reached out to the three leaseholders for the Morro Bay Wind Energy project.
An Equinor spokesperson said, “We are aware that several states through their respective attorney-generals' offices, including the California Office of the Attorney General, have filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s Day One executive order regarding offshore wind. The litigation was taken independently by the state coalition.”
Golden State Wind CEO Tyler Studds said, Golden State Wind believes in the potential of our offshore wind project to provide new energy generation to meet increasing demand for electricity. Just as floating offshore wind in California is a long-term energy resource, it is also a long-term development process."
An Invenergy spokesperson said, "While Invenergy is not party to the lawsuit brought by 17 U.S. States and DC, it is clear that meeting California’s increasing electricity demand will require the development of new American made energy sources."
As far as next steps, “There will be an adjudication of this case moving forward, and at the end there will be a decision,” Carbajal said.
