March 31, 226 By Hingham Green Living Contributor, Charlie Inglis (Photo Credit: NOAA)
On February 12, 2026, the EPA marked an unfortunate milestone. The 2009 Endangerment Finding was officially rescinded, marking the largest deregulatory act in U.S. history. The Endangerment Finding, discussed in December’s Opinion: Is Our Air in Danger?, was an article under the Clean Air Act that established the legal basis for emissions regulations. The Finding was the result of a 2008 Supreme Court case led by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Without it, the EPA has relinquished its power to regulate Greenhouse Gas emissions, most significantly within the auto industry. The EPA claims that doing away with these regulations will save the United States $1.3 trillion. But what will the cost be for our climate?
On a brighter note, the Trump administration’s attempt to block several East Coast renewable energy efforts has failed, and so these projects have resumed. In total, five wind farm projects were halted by the current administration. One is in the works near Martha’s Vineyard, one between Rhode Island and Connecticut, two in New York, and one in Virginia. These were to be constructed by various international companies, including the Danish corporation Orsted, Norwegian company Equinor, and Dominion Energy Virginia. The proposed blockage was supported by President Trump, who has called wind farms “losers,” and has targeted them from his first days in office. On December 22, 2025, the federal government issued a stop-work order to be taken into effect immediately; however, the administration was quickly sued over this mandate. Federal judges have ruled that three of these seven projects will be allowed to resume.
Vineyard Wind, one project off of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, was approved to continue construction. Before the attempted blockage, its completion was expected to be reached in March. It would produce a total of 800 megawatts of power, which is enough clean electricity to power 400,000 New England homes. That is equivalent to approximately 41 Hinghams! The wind farm is currently 95% complete, and able to produce 600 megawatts. The successful court challenge to the government’s stop-work order means that the project will be completed. This victory offers us a beacon amidst the destructive storm of negative legal and regulatory attacks on the environment. We look forward to seeing the positive effects that these wind farms will have, and hope it will spark momentum toward more positive environmental change and progress.
References:
https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/new-england-wind-1-and-2
https://www.nrdc.org/resources/white-house-watch-tracking-attacks-our-environment-health
https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/final-rule-rescission-greenhouse-gas-endangerment
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/politics/judge-rules-mass-offshore-wind-project-halted-by-trump-admin-can-continue/3885566/
Photo Credit: NOAA
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/science-data/offshore-wind-energy-development-new-england-mid-atlantic-waters
Hinghamite Charlie Inglis may only be in 8th grade, but he makes as much of an impact on the town as people who have lived here for generations. Charlie is a Green Living contributor for Hingham Anchor. When Charlie isn’t sharing his conservation and recycling tips, you might find him at Stars, Wompatuck or enjoying one of the countless athletic and arts activities he participates in.