A federal judge in Massachusetts this week vacated President Donald Trump’s executive order that halted all permitting for offshore wind energy projects, a major victory for the industry off the Vineyard’s coast that has been under fire during his second term. 

In a 47-page ruling on Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Patti Saris declared the executive order, which also demanded an environmental and economic review of existing leases, was unlawful. 

Judge Saris pointed to federal laws that require the agencies that permit offshore wind farms to handle applications as they come in within a reasonable time. But under the executive order, no work is being done while the federal government undertakes its review, which Trump administration lawyers earlier this fall admitted has no set end date.

“An indefinite halt on issuing (or denying) all authorizations related to wind projects violates the statutory requirement that agencies must ‘proceed to conclude . . . matter[s] presented to’ them ‘within a reasonable time,’” the judge wrote. 

President Trump has been vociferous in his opposition to wind turbines off the U.S. Coast, claiming that they have been deadly to birds and whales, and are unsightly in general. The administration has moved to reconsider several projects and stopped the leasing of any more land for wind farms.

To fight back, Massachusetts joined several other states in suing the federal government over the order, which was issued by the President on his first day in office. In the suit, filed in the Boston court in May, the states argued there was no legal justification for the permitting pause and asked Judge Saris to overrule the executive order. 

In her decision, Judge Saris wrote that the President may direct a reappraisal of permitting practices after the change of an administration, but the Department of the Interior, which oversees offshore wind, can’t decline to adjudicate applications altogether for an unspecified time period.

“Not acting at all is not a lawful option,” Judge Saris wrote. 

In a statement to the Gazette Tuesday, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers ripped into industry.

“Under Joe Biden’s Green New Scam, offshore wind projects were given unfair, preferential treatment while the rest of the energy industry was hindered by burdensome regulations,” she wrote in a statement. 

“President Trump’s day one executive order instructed agencies to review leases and permitting practices for wind projects with consideration for our country’s growing demands for reliable energy, effects on energy costs for American families, the importance of marine life and fishing industry, and the impacts on ocean currents and wind patterns,” she continued.

Supporters of the offshore wind industry, which is largely centered in a large swath of water south of the Island, praised the court’s decision.

“This is not just a victory for wind power, but for the rule of law,” said Kate Sinding Daly, senior vice president for law and policy at the Conservation Law Foundation. “This unlawful moratorium was a blatant gift to polluting fossil fuel companies by the Trump administration, but the court saw right through that.”

Much of Judge Saris’ opinion dealt with whether Massachusetts and the other states were going through the proper channels to fight the Trump administration’s executive order. The states argued that the pendulum swing under the President upended years of planning without any explanation. 

Judge Saris agreed with this sentiment, saying that a departure from decades of precedent required the federal government, at a minimum, to provide a reasoning for the change of course. 

One project that is in limbo to the Island’s south was mentioned in the ruling. SouthCoast Wind, which is attempting to build a 141-turbine project about 30 miles off the coast, was used as an example of one of the long-planned projects that have been disrupted, postponing the delivery of electricity to Massachusetts. 

Massachusetts attorney general Andrea Campbell, who led the legal challenge for the commonwealth, said the decision was critical for Massachusetts to meet its climate goals.

“This decision will allow MA to continue creating green jobs and working towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” she wrote in a social media post. 

Gov. Maura Healey agreed, writing on social media that the industry is creating jobs and driving down energy costs. 

“At a moment when families need relief, we can’t afford to take solutions off the table,” she wrote.

While the state officials were in favor, some fishermen groups worried about allowing permitting to continue. 

Aaron Williams, the president of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, said he has seen the risks posed by the towering turbines and was disappointed in Judge Saris’ decision. 

“President Trump’s decision to halt offshore wind projects reflected a commitment to responsible ocean management, overturning that decision is a step backward in defending our oceans and the working waterfront,” he said.