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A federal judge just ruled that Trump's freeze on wind energy project reviews was unlawful — but the administration has already paused more than 16 offshore lease sales and directed the Pentagon to scrutinize turbines as a national-security threat. The U.S. wind sector represents 150 gigawatts of installed capacity and a $369 billion pipeline authorized by Congress. Courts are now the primary battleground between that investment and an executive branch determined to slow it to a halt.
Wind capacity grew across all administrations, with the steepest acceleration during Obama's second term and Biden's IRA-fueled pipeline. Trump's second-term freeze has effectively flatlined new capacity additions; the 150.8 GW figure for 2025 reflects only projects already in construction before the executive order.