The rule of law raises its head in clean energy cases

Plus, how far China is ahead of the U.S. in the renewables race

In today’s edition:

— U.S. federal judges issue two rulings reversing White House cutbacks on green energy projects

— China is running almost a century ahead of U.S. in renewable energy growth, study says

— What whales can teach us about climate change

— Worst wildfires hit Australia since Black Summer of 2019-2020

— Climate change has reduced U.S. income by 12% in past 25 years

Revolution Wind is America’s first multistate offshore wind project. Photo: Revolution Wind.

The White House has trampled over so many domestic and international laws in the past year that it’s difficult to celebrate too much when a couple of judges uphold the law in the face of the Trump legal machine.

But that’s just what Ørsted shareholders did today after a federal judge ruled that construction on its 90% complete Revolution Wind offshore wind project off Rhode Island can continue while it fights on in the appeals courts. Ørsted shares, down 17% in the past year amid repeated U.S. attacks on offshore wind energy, rose as much
as 7% on the news.

Separately, a federal judge in Minnesota ruled that seven renewable energy projects halted by the Department of Energy last year were stopped for what looked like political reasons and could go ahead, giving hope to backers of 200 more projects worth $7 billion in blue states that were halted in the same order.

While it is encouraging to see federal judges step up to fight for the rule of law in these cases, past history with the Trump legal machine illustrates it won’t go down without a fight. New injunctions could be ordered for different reasons at any time.

The dark shadow of administration harassment likely means that while the builders of the current projects have gained a temporary reprieve, investors in future projects will probably hold back until the legal air is cleared, so to speak. In the meantime, green energy advocates will take any wins they can get.

If you have ideas or suggestions for us, contact me directly at
dcallaway@callawayclimateinsights.com.

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In global warming, a century is a long time