May 7, 2024 — The legal battle between Dominion Energy and three organizations opposed to its offshore wind project is heating up.
In March, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), the Heartland Institute, and the National Legal and Policy Center sued Dominion Energy, alleging it hadn’t taken the necessary steps to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale and other marine life during construction. Dominion Energy called the lawsuit “meritless.”
In the latest development, the three organizations requested a preliminary injunction, asking a judge to stop offshore construction before it starts.
A preliminary injunction is a judge-issued order that demands a defendant stop an allegedly harmful activity while a lawsuit progresses. On Monday afternoon, Dominion Energy submitted its response to the preliminary injunction request, calling the move an “eleventh hour attempt” to stop the project.
CFACT president Craig Rucker disagrees. “We need an injunction and a proper study that looks at all the cumulative aspects of these different wind farms,” he said.