NEWS: The wind power struggle is picking up in Washington—and threatening a permitting bill. 💨

The import order: Last Thursday, President Trump claimed that imported wind turbines threaten national security. Why? They produce “unreliable and intermittent energy” and pose cybersecurity concerns, among other issues raised by the Commerce Secretary. Now, Trump is ordering trade negotiations (and may slap on tariffs later).

The offshore offensive: Earlier in the week, the Justice Department asked a court to reconsider approval of the New England Wind project off MA’s coast. That’s the fourth offshore wind project threatened by the Trump administration in the past few weeks.

The fallout: These wind attacks land at a sensitive time for the Senate’s bipartisan permitting bill (BAAJA). Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a BAAJA negotiator, warned that the recent anti-wind moves could “blow up a permitting deal.”