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2d ago

Trump Administration Eliminates All Offshore Wind Energy Areas

BOEM’s de-designation of 3.5 million acres under executive orders has prompted lawsuits, warnings of stranded investments, higher consumer bills, risks to energy reliability

FILE - A generator and its blades are prepared for transport to the open ocean for the South Fork Wind farm in New London, Conn., Dec. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Image art by Paul Gerke via ChatGPT-4o.
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) site; Photo: offshoreWIND.biz
FILE - Offshore wind turbines of South Fork Wind operate off the coast of Block Island, R.I., Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Overview

  • The bureau’s July 31 order rescinded all designated Wind Energy Areas on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, effectively ending the five-year leasing plan launched under the previous administration.
  • The decision follows President Trump’s January memorandum pausing offshore wind leasing and Interior Secretary Burgum’s July 29 order labeling wind and solar “unreliable, foreign-controlled.”
  • Industry trade group Oceantic Network cautioned the move will strand billions in project investments, lead to job losses and raise electricity costs.
  • A coalition of attorneys general from 17 states and the District of Columbia has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the administration’s halting of wind leasing and permitting.
  • The cancellation undermines existing projects and targets including the 12-turbine South Fork wind farm and the goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore capacity by 2030.