A federal judge has granted permission for a lawsuit to proceed against the 704MW Revolution Wind project, a wind farm being developed off the coast of Rhode Island. The project is a joint venture between Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables. The lawsuit was filed by environmental group Green Oceans, which alleges that the government failed to properly protect the environment when it approved the project by ignoring federal laws such as the Administrative Procedure Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and Clean Water Act.
Green Oceans is seeking to halt construction of the wind farm, and the decision by Judge Royce Lamberth represents a significant development in the case. The group’s president and co-founder, Lisa Quattrocki Knight, welcomed the decision, stating that it would allow them to demonstrate the government’s failure to protect the environment.
The lawsuit was originally filed in January 2024, and the project’s developers, Ørsted and Skyborn Renewables, have yet to comment on the decision. The project’s approval was meant to be a key milestone in the development of the US’s offshore wind industry, which has faced criticism for its environmental impact.