A coalition of 18 Democrat-led states and the District of Columbia is seeking to join a lawsuit filed by renewable energy trade associations challenging the Trump administration's pause on new wind energy approvals.

The lawsuit, filed May 31 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, argues the freeze threatens planned projects, grid reliability, and state clean-energy mandates.

Under federal law, developers of land-based wind projects with turbines taller than 200 feet must submit their proposals to the Federal Aviation Administration for review.

The FAA then refers the proposals to the War Department to assess whether they could affect military operations, radar systems, flight paths, or national security.

The complaint alleges that since August 2025, the War Department has increasingly delayed or halted reviews of wind projects. It further alleges that in April the department ordered staff to stop work on all wind-project reviews.

The complaint also alleges that a May memorandum confirmed wind projects would remain on indefinite hold while most other energy projects continued to receive prompt review.

On Thursday, the attorneys general for Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, and the District of Columbia filed a motion to intervene on the plaintiffs' behalf.

"Oregonians are counting on these wind projects for good-paying jobs and cleaner energy," Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, who is leading the coalition, said in a statement. "The federal administration's actions are unfair and unlawful, and we're fighting to keep Oregonians' energy priorities moving forward."

President Donald Trump has maintained a long-standing opposition to wind turbines, dating to a 2011 legal fight over an offshore wind farm near his golf resort in Scotland. He routinely disparages wind projects as a "very expensive joke," claiming they destroy natural landscapes, reduce property values, kill birds, and harm marine wildlife.

"The federal government claims we're in an energy emergency and yet unlawfully stands in the way of projects seeking to harness an excellent renewable source of energy — wind," Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said in a statement. "We're determined to fight this administration's obstruction of projects needed to power our economy, increase clean energy supply, and protect Washington's air and water."

The Trump administration has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the War Department temporarily slowed portions of its wind-project review process while reassessing how it evaluates national security risks posed by large wind farms in light of evolving threats, including the increasing use of drones and other unmanned systems in modern warfare.

The administration contends the review is necessary to ensure military radar and readiness are adequately protected before projects receive federal approvals.

The Justice Department also argues the plaintiffs filed the case in the wrong court, failed to identify a final agency action subject to judicial review, and improperly mounted what it calls a broad challenge to the government's overall review process rather than contesting decisions involving specific projects.