Judge orders Pentagon to resume wind project reviews

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Defense to immediately resume its national security reviews for onshore wind energy projects, lifting a freeze that had stalled more than 100 developments across the country. Judge Karin Immergut of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday, August 6, 2026, siding with renewable energy groups and state attorneys general who argued the Pentagon's halt was unlawful.

The ruling requires the Defense Department to restart a review process that had effectively stopped by early May. The process, established by Congress in 2011, mandates that the Pentagon assess whether proposed energy projects, including wind turbines over 200 feet tall, could interfere with military operations, radar, or communications. The department must now provide status reports every 30 days on the progress of these reviews while the underlying lawsuit proceeds.

In her decision, Judge Immergut, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, stated the Pentagon had violated statutory and regulatory deadlines. She wrote that the agency cannot pick and choose which parts of this legal regime to follow and has...