Overview

• The attorneys general filed for a preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court in Providence to lift the federal stop-work order and allow construction to resume.
• Work was halted in August on a fully permitted offshore wind project that is roughly 80% complete and contracted to serve about 300,000 to 350,000 homes.
• The states warn of imminent, irreparable harm, citing lost union jobs, contract risks, higher consumer costs, and ISO New England’s caution that delays raise reliability risks.
• The administration has defended the pause in court but has not identified specific legal violations or a clear path to lifting the order, according to the states’ filings.
• Gov. Ned Lamont pressed for a specific explanation and noted time pressure tied to specialized vessel leases, as developer Ørsted pursues a parallel lawsuit in Washington, D.C.