Wind Power NAICS 221115

May 7, 2025 - 18 States Sue Trump Administration Over Halting Wind Permits

• In early May, Democratic attorneys general from 18 states filed a federal lawsuit to stop President Trump’s pause on federal permitting for land-based and offshore wind projects, according to The New York Times. On his first day in office, President Trump signed several executive orders, including a halt on wind farm permitting pending a federal review. The lawsuit asks a judge in a Massachusetts federal court to prevent federal agencies from blocking wind permitting and to declare Trump’s executive order unlawful. The attorneys general argue the administration’s freeze on permitting posed a significant threat to a clean energy industry at a time when demand for electricity is growing. An administration spokesperson said the lawsuit was an effort to impede the Trump administration’s energy policy.
• North American construction and engineering spending in the power sector in 2025 is expected to grow by 6% and notch robust annual growth through 2029, according to FMI’s second-quarter 2025 North American Engineering and Construction Outlook. While the Trump administration is emphasizing natural gas and oil production, the ongoing electrification of transportation and manufacturing, as well as voracious demand from data centers, will increase demand from all electricity sources except coal. To power their data centers, technology firms are making investments in clean energy microgrids, nuclear energy, and battery storage systems. According to the 2024 US American Society of Civil Engineers’ infrastructure Report Card, 20% - or about $2 trillion – of the US’s total infrastructure needs through 2023 are related to energy. FMI forecasts that energy construction and engineering spending will rise 5% in 2026, 3% in 2027, 4% in 2028, and 6% in 2029.

• More clean energy-related projects are being paused, downsized, or cancelled due to policy shifts under the Trump administration, according to Manufacturing Dive. In the first quarter of 2025, companies announced $8 billion in project downsizing and cancellations, according to E2, a clean-energy nonprofit that tracks and releases monthly updates on green energy project announcements. In all, 16 projects were cancelled in the first quarter, including solar, wind, and electric vehicle plants. After the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022, the law’s tax credits for clean-energy manufacturing projects and direct funding and loan financing attracted billions in climate-related investments. However, on his first day in office, President Trump froze funding under the IRA pending government review. Trump has been critical of EV tax credits under the IRA, as well as a Biden-era executive order calling for EVs to make up half of US auto sales by 2030. The clean energy sector is also bracing for the impact of tariffs, which would drive up project costs for key inputs, including EV battery and solar cell components.
• As the Trump administration and its allies in Congress aim to repeal or pare back the green energy incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Republican congressional districts could have the most to lose, according to The New York Times. Since it was passed in 2022, private firms incentivized by the IRA have announced $165.8 billion in manufacturing investments to build solar panels, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and other products related to renewable energy, according to a report by research firm Atlas Public Policy. About 80% of that spending has occurred in Republican districts, creating a boon for jobs and economic activity. Soon after being sworn in, President Trump signed an executive order freezing funding for projects under the IRA and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. In mid-April, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to reinstate already-allocated funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as the case plays out in court, according to Manufacturing Dive. In March, six nonprofits sued the agencies to gain access to frozen funding. The ruling unblocks funding for all awardees nationwide.