Doug Burgum

Rule Changes

Lost all five preliminary injunction hearings; no appeals filed as of February 10; judges across political spectrum questioned national security rationale as pretextual

On December 22, 2025, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum paused every major offshore wind farm under construction off the East Coast. Vineyard Wind, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, Empire Wind, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind—representing $28 billion in investment and enough power for millions of homes—all stopped work on orders from Washington citing radar interference and national security risks near military installations.

Updated Feb 10

Rule Changes

Facing fifth consecutive legal defeat as federal judges uniformly reject offshore wind suspensions; Interior Department deciding whether to appeal or pivot to blocking future permitting

Five federal judges delivered consecutive defeats to Trump's offshore wind freeze between January 13 and February 2, 2026. All five suspended East Coast projects—Revolution Wind, Empire Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Vineyard Wind, and Sunrise Wind—won preliminary injunctions clearing them to resume construction, representing over $25 billion in investment and 6+ gigawatts of capacity. Judge Brian Murphy's January 27 ruling on Vineyard Wind found the government 'failed to provide a reasonable explanation' for halting the 95%-complete project, calling the action 'likely arbitrary and capricious.' Judge Royce Lamberth's February 2 ruling on Sunrise Wind, the final project at 45% completion, completed the legal sweep. All five projects are now operating under court orders while litigation continues.

Updated Feb 4

Rule Changes

Overseeing the NPR-A regulatory rollback and leasing restart

BLM’s rollback of the 2024 NPR-A protections isn’t new news—but today is when it becomes real. As of December 17, 2025, the rescission is officially in effect, wiping out the Biden-era rule that tried to hardwire stronger guardrails into how the Western Arctic gets developed.

Updated Dec 17, 2025

Force in Play

Overseeing transfer of public lands into border military zones

Donald Trump has quietly turned long stretches of the southern border into de facto military bases. Under a new system of National Defense Areas, soldiers can stop migrants, hold them, and help prosecutors charge them as trespassers on military land.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Rule Changes

Key architect of permitting policies that stall large wind and solar projects

Trump promised to “unleash American energy.” Instead, his administration has nearly shut the door on big onshore wind and solar. Since he took office in January 2025, just one major solar project on federal land has been approved, and none at all since Interior Secretary Doug Burgum demanded personal sign-off on every renewable decision.

Updated Dec 11, 2025