Other defendants named in the lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C. are the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS) and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.
Rall, which is owned by the Chinese company Sany Group, applied for permission to build the wind farm earlier this year. In the executive order, President Barack Obama said allowing a firm with ties to the Chinese government to erect wind turbines near restricted military airspace in Oregon is a national security concern.
In its lawsuit, Rall said it never had an opportunity to "view, review, respond to, or rebut any evidence that CFIUS, the President, or any person or entity acting on their behalf has obtained, reviewed, or relied upon in reviewing the transaction in question, concluding that the transaction raises national security concerns, issuing the aforementioned orders, and imposing the foregoing extraordinary prohibitions and restrictions.”
Ralls is represented by Paul Clement, former Solicitor General for George W. Bush.
As reported by the Courthouse News Service, Ralls bought four companies that had the rights to build wind turbines in north-central Oregon in March of this year.
The land where the companies planned to build the turbines is near the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility in Boardman, Oregon.
On Friday President Obama said “there is credible evidence” that Ralls, the Sany Group, and its owners “might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States.,” the Courthouse News Service said.
The President ordered the companies to divest all interest in the projects within 90 days, and remove everything from the properties within two weeks of the order.
The companies also must certify their divestment with the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS). That agency issued an interim order in July asking the company to stop its operations.
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