Democratic attorneys general from California and New York sued 
Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday over its plans to buy back offshore wind leases. The deals at issue would hand energy companies $1.4 billion in taxpayer dollars to cancel multiple projects, PBS NewsHour reported. In all, the administration has pledged nearly $4 billion to companies to walk away from projects across the country.
Which deals are being challenged? California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he is suing over the removal of a project off his state's coast planned by Chicago-based Invenergy. The administration said in June that it was buying back the company's U.S. offshore wind leases for four projects on the East and West coasts. New York Attorney General Letitia James led seven states in suits seeking to block the Invenergy deal and another with Bluepoint Wind, which agreed in April to end a wind farm under development off the New York and New Jersey coast. Attorneys general in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont joined New York's suit.
What is the administration's position on wind power? Trump, who often talks about his hatred of wind power, has said his goal is to not let any "windmills" be built, PBS NewsHour reported. His administration is seeking to discourage the expansion of wind energy in favor of fossil fuels. Offshore wind produces electricity cleanly, while oil, coal and natural gas emit carbon pollution when burned.
What have the attorneys general said? James called the deals illegal and said they will ultimately increase Americans' electricity bills by sabotaging states' ability to meet growing energy demands. "These illegal backroom deals take money that should have gone toward lowering New Yorkers' bills and hand it to fossil fuel projects in other states," she said in a statement. Bonta said California finds itself enmeshed in "avoidable and unnecessary battles with our own federal government."
What did Bonta say in New York? Bonta, who PBS NewsHour reported was speaking at a Climate Week event in New York City, said climate action needs to match the scope, speed and scale of the problem. "Because we have to go to court and block an unlawful action by the Trump administration each time, it takes time," he said Tuesday in remarks just before Trump addressed the U.N. General Assembly. He said California was "still all in" and would push to participate in the climate action "that is needed to meet this moment," no matter what the administration does.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
