California and New York have opened a significant new front in the fight over federal energy policy, suing the Trump administration over plans to buy back offshore wind leases tied to already approved clean-energy development. The states contend the federal government is unlawfully attempting to unwind projects that cleared prior regulatory review, setting up a high-stakes clash over agency authority, administrative process, and the future of offshore wind investment.

At the center of the dispute is whether the federal government can effectively reverse course on issued offshore wind leases through buybacks or cancellations without complying with the legal constraints that govern agency decision-making.

California and New York have opened a significant new front in the legal fight over federal energy policy, suing the Trump administration over plans to buy back offshore wind leases. The states argue the federal government is acting unlawfully by attempting to unwind existing lease rights in a way that undercuts offshore wind development and disrupts long-term clean energy planning.

At its core, the dispute is about the limits of executive power over federal energy programs.

A federal judge in Rhode Island has blocked the EPA’s attempt to terminate the Biden-era “Solar for All” program, a $7 billion grant initiative designed to expand residential solar access in underserved communities. U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy ruled that the agency acted unlawfully in canceling grants that had already been obligated, concluding that Congress had clearly authorized the funding and intended the program to move forward.

The lawsuit, Rhode Island AFL-CIO et al v. Environmental Protection Agency et al, is notable not only because of the amount at stake, but also because it highlights a recurring separation-of-powers dispute: how far an executive agency can go in unwinding programs that Congress has funded and the government has already put into motion.

Judge McElroy’s decision appears to turn on a straightforward but powerful administrative-law principle.

A federal judge in California has sided with the federal government in a closely watched fight over the Santa Ynez pipeline system, rejecting the state’s attempt to block an order requiring Sable Offshore to keep the system operating under the Defense Production Act. The decision gives the Trump administration an early win in a dispute that sits at the intersection of emergency federal power, energy infrastructure, and state environmental oversight.

At the center of the controversy is whether California regulators can effectively countermand a federal directive issued in the name of energy security.