Judge Casper blocks wind and solar permit bottleneck

Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston issued a preliminary injunction blocking Interior Department policies that required personal approval from Secretary Doug Burgum and two other senior political appointees for every step in the wind and solar permitting process. Casper ruled none of the directives the agency cited explained or justified the three-tiered review structure, violating the Administrative Procedure Act. The injunction also blocked Interior's stricter interpretation of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act for offshore wind.