Boston — A federal judge has granted permission for the resumption of construction on the nearly completed Vineyard Wind project, dealing a legal blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to block several large offshore wind projects on the East Coast on national security grounds.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston lifted the government’s suspension order on the Massachusetts project, which is 95% complete. The judge ruled that further delays would cause economic damage, and the developer’s legal challenge is likely to succeed. The Vineyard Wind project was one of five projects abruptly frozen just before Christmas; it is now the fourth to be allowed to continue by a federal court.

This ruling highlights the judiciary’s counterattack against the government’s broad suspension of projects, which lacked public and detailed justification. “The judges’ conclusion was essentially that the government failed to demonstrate an imminent national security risk that necessitated halting construction,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, after following the case.

The joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, located on the southern part of Martha’s Vineyard Island, is expected to be completed this spring, providing 800 megawatts of power to approximately 400,000 homes. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell argued that the project's completion is crucial to the state's energy costs, climate goals, and thousands of jobs.

The government outlined its concerns in a sealed court filing, primarily concerning the potential impact on defense radar and early warning systems. Despite these concerns, the near-completion status of the Vineyard Wind project played a key role in the judge's ruling, marking significant progress for the industry. While still a target of President Trump's criticism, the industry is a priority for several coastal states seeking cleaner energy and economic investment.Editor/Cao Tianyi