November 6, 2025 — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration can reconsider a major environmental permit for SouthCoast Wind, a proposed project near Massachusetts.
The decision marks yet another blow to the offshore wind industry, and reinforces a sense of uncertainty for all energy developers, who in the past, have been able to rely on a final federal permit being, in fact, final.
In a five page order, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, an Obama appointee to the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., said the Trump administration could take a second look at the project’s Construction and Operations Plan. The COP, as it’s typically called, is the last big permit an offshore wind projects needs before it can begin construction. SouthCoast Wind’s permit was issued in January, just days before Trump resumed office.