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President Donald Trump’s fight against offshore wind has escalated this summer, with more than one dozen agency actions in the last two months alone — the latest of which has stopped a project in its tracks.
The Trump administration has significantly truncated the window to receive multimillion dollar tax credits. It’s issued new Treasury guidance that redefines what it means to start project construction (in order to access those credits). It has imposed 50% tariffs on wind turbine imports. And it has mandated reviews of offshore wind projects by several agencies, including the Justice Department.
Some of the impacts have been quick and clear, illustrated through LinkedIn layoff posts, the return of ships to port (temporarily barred from undertaking the contracted work), project delays, and union laborers protesting the loss of work that they trained for.
Since Trump ordered a freeze on all offshore wind projects permitting on his first day in office, the industry has remained largely silent, deferring to states, lobbyists and organizations to come to its defense. Several of these state allies will return to federal court in Boston on Thursday, where they’ll argue that the permitting freeze is illegal and must be lifted.
“I would say my biggest concern and one that has borne out is this really unfortunate and deep shake to market confidence of the sector writ large,” said Kris Ohleth, director of the Special Initiative for Offshore Wind, on the administration’s treatment of the industry. “From the offshore wind developers down through the supply chain are more and more skeptical with each of these actions that the U.S. is a place for them to do business.”
Bill White, an offshore wind industry veteran, didn’t mince words: The industry is in “dire straits” because of the uncertainty created by the administration.
Review, review, and more review
Many of the secretarial orders and memos direct further review. That’s on top of the significant, yearslong reviews that projects already undergo as part of the permitting process.
All project decisions now need final review and approval by the Secretary of the Interior’s office. The Interior must conduct a review of the impact of wind turbines on migratory birds. The Justice Department must review all pending litigation against wind projects and identify cases where the remanding of permits — or withdrawal of prior approvals — is appropriate. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management must conduct a “full review” of all offshore wind regulations. And the Fish and Wildlife Service must review all permits that allow a level of harm (“take” in regulatory-speak) to birds.
This list doesn’t include the big review that Trump ordered all relevant agencies to carry out on all offshore wind projects in his Jan. 20 presidential memorandum. It’s a review that the federal government has not provided much information or documentation of in court or to the public.
Through this inter-agency review, the Interior Department said it dug up a scientific report on the Empire Wind project in New York state, which is used as a basis to halt construction for one month. But the department entirely blacked out the document in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, E&E News reported.
The Interior also referenced its project-wide review in BOEM’s stop-work order for Revolution Wind. BOEM wrote that it needs time to “address concerns that have arisen during the review that the Department is undertaking pursuant to the President’s Memorandum of January 20, 2025.”
Through secretarial orders, the Interior Department has also directed federal attorneys to review pending lawsuits against projects (13, as of last year) and determine cases in which it would be appropriate to remand permits.
“That’s very concerning,” said Nick Krakoff, attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation. It would be an “unprecedented legal attack on clean energy, and a broader attack on the rule of law in this country.”
On Aug. 29, the federal government followed this order. In a filing for the Town of Nantucket’s lawsuit against SouthCoast Wind, the government said it intends to “move for a voluntary remand” of a key project permit.
SouthCoast Wind, however, was already in limbo. The Jan. 20 memo froze permitting, and the project is in need of three key permits in order to move forward with construction. If Interior moves to remand the construction and operations plan (COP), and it is approved by the court, that will make four permits that the project needs to move forward.
In January, experts said that under-construction projects faced lower risk. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum seemed to provide some assurance during his confirmation hearing, stating projects that are permitted and “make sense” will continue.
But Empire Wind and Revolution Wind have shown that no project is safe.
White, who previously worked with DEME Offshore US, which supports the Vineyard Wind buildout, called the pulling of permits or approvals “unprecedented” for a developed economy. Previously, the granting of permits by the federal government significantly reduced project risk, allowing developers to secure key project financing.
“Seeing all in one place is pretty overwhelming,” said Ohleth of the list The Light compiled. “They all kind of hearken back to the authority that the federal government has uniquely in offshore wind, a resource sited on federal land. It’s an outsized level of control they have.”
“There’s not only such an adversarial environment here in the U.S., but also a welcoming environment in other countries,” she continued. “Why would an offshore wind developer or supply chain member take the risk, time and energy to try and fight back against this political system?”
The New Bedford Ocean Cluster, which connects local businesses with industry, has seen a few prospective companies opt not to become members in recent months, citing a downturn in the market and ongoing challenges created by the administration, said Jennifer Downing, executive director.
The cluster’s annual conference this fall has expanded to address all of its pillars: wind, aquaculture, commercial fishing and marine innovation. Previously, it was solely focused on wind. Downing said it was a natural progression and not related to Trump’s attack on wind.
Also this fall is the American Clean Power Association’s annual wind conference, set in Boston. Relative to prior gatherings, the agenda is significantly abridged and limited.
Economic impacts
These federal actions have cost the offshore wind industry hundreds of millions of dollars.
Empire Wind reported it was losing $50 million per week during the monthlong stop-work order (or about $200 million for the month of April).
The parent company for SouthCoast Wind, Ocean Winds, months ago announced a $260 million reduction in the value of its North American wind portfolio.
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, a project south of Virginia, said it incurred an added $73 million in costs from tariffs. If the tariff policies continue through the end of 2026, when the project plans to be finished, the developer expects more than $500 million in added costs, a spokesperson said. As of August, the project is more than 60% complete.
An Orsted spokesperson did not address whether or how the tariffs will impact the turbine components being imported for two projects: Revolution Wind, which is about 80% complete; and Sunrise Wind, which only has foundations in the water. Vineyard Wind declined to comment on the tariffs.
In Massachusetts, contracts have been delayed multiple times, with state officials and a wind executive citing Trump’s wind memo and the uncertainty it creates.
As these projects remain frozen, they continue to make annual lease payments to the federal government. For example, BOEM is earning more than $400,000 from SouthCoast Wind annually, per recent court filings.
On an individual level, the Trump administration’s actions have ushered in layoffs at several companies, including RWE, SouthCoast Wind (with a workforce reduction of more than 50%, per court filings) and Vineyard Offshore, according to LinkedIn posts.
Layoffs also hit the federal government, and several staff from BOEM’s renewable energy office (many of whom are scientists) were laid off.
Some fishing groups have celebrated the stop-work order on Revolution Wind, stating the project (and other wind projects) will damage their fishing grounds and industry. But some fishermen who contract with wind developers for safety vessel work are now facing a hit to their bottom lines.
Gordon Videll, CEO of Sea Services, a contractor with Orsted, said that of the 14 fishing vessels that have worked on the Revolution Wind project, nine are New Bedford boats.
A New Bedford scalloper, Madison Kate, was set to go out this week to the project, but now is not due to the stop-work order, Videll said. The vessel owner did not respond to inquiries.
Videll said his company has paid out in excess of $7 million to its fishing vessels on the project so far. There’s more money for fishermen to make if construction is allowed to resume.
“It’s unfortunate because a lot of fishermen who are participating in offshore development are being hurt,” Videll said.
Union workers have also been left in the lurch for Revolution Wind. Andy Sylvester, a Massachusetts resident and journeyman carpenter with Local 328, is set to go offshore this week for the first time to assist in pulling cables through the turbines to connect them to the grid.
But with the work stoppage, uncertainty abounds as to whether Sylvester will get to do that work.
Meaghan Wims, a spokesperson for Orsted, said that Revolution Wind is complying with the order, work offshore has ceased, and Orsted is “evaluating all options to resolve the matter expeditiously.”
“I don’t know what their gripe is with it,” he said of the federal government’s actions against offshore wind. “I think overall, it’s the sort of thing our nation needs if we’re gonna not have issues with power.”
“Since I heard about wind, I was very excited to maybe work on a project like this,” said Sylvester, who underwent many hours of training to be permitted to work offshore on wind turbines.
“It’s an American industry,” said John Dunderdale, business manager for Piledrivers Local Union 56. “With the stoppage, [Trump] has taken jobs, wages and benefits away from American workers.”
He said union workers are relying on this project to meet their hours for the year, a requirement to access benefits like health insurance and a pension: “It affects us in a big way.”
Beyond workers, the stop-work order (or threatened cancellation of shovel-ready projects) will risk more expensive electricity for New England ratepayers, experts say.
In an uncommon move, ISO New England, the regional grid, issued a statement on the administration’s order on Revolution Wind, warning it is likely to drive up costs for ratepayers and decrease grid reliability.
Without offshore wind, the cost of energy will increase by about 50% by 2050, ISO-NE forecasted in a 2024 report.
“Recent heatwaves in New England drove demand for electricity to very high levels and demonstrated that our region needs all generation resources with market obligations to be available to meet demand and maintain required reserves,” ISO-NE said in its statement on Revolution Wind. “Beyond near-term impacts to reliability in the summer and winter peak periods, delays in the availability of new resources will adversely affect New England’s economy and industrial growth.”
Consequential hearing this week
In June, federal Judge William G. Young partially allowed the states to proceed with their lawsuit against the federal government’s freeze on offshore wind permitting and leasing, but only on certain claims (he dismissed others).
Even if the judge rules in the states’ favor, it won’t immediately solve the problem for developers. The court can enjoin the federal government from enforcing the wind memo and its permitting freeze, but it cannot force federal agencies to immediately issue the outstanding permits.
“No single court case is ever going to be a panacea,” said Josh Kaplowitz, an attorney specializing in offshore wind and former counsel at BOEM. “I think a strong order would certainly help individual projects that are facing challenges because you have a judicial order saying that this wind presidential memo (the source of a lot of these subsequent actions) is arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law.”
In the days following the Revolution Wind stop-work order, Connecticut and Rhode Island state officials filed affidavits with Judge Young to illustrate further examples of harm in support of their legal claims.
These include the loss of more than 1,000 jobs, risks to grid reliability and increased electricity costs for New England ratepayers.
To date, the only developer that has filed statements in court to illustrate harm incurred has been SouthCoast Wind, reinforcing the silent approach that the industry at large has adopted.
The states are seeking summary judgment, and a court order on Trump’s wind memo — the document on which several projects hang and that federal agencies are issuing orders from — could come as early as Thursday if Judge Young decides to rule from the bench.
On Labor Day, Gov. Maura Healey joined other Northeast governors in asking the Trump administration to “uphold all offshore wind permits already granted and allow these projects to be constructed.”
In Massachusetts, two projects are fully permitted: Vineyard Wind (under construction) and New England Wind 1.
“Efforts to walk back these commitments jeopardize hardworking families, wasting years of progress and ceding leadership to foreign competitors,” read the statement, signed also by Govs. Kathy Hochul (New York), Dan McKee (Rhode Island), Ned Lamont (Connecticut) and Phil Murphy (New Jersey). “Workers, businesses, and communities need certainty, not reversals that would cost tens of thousands of American jobs and critical investment.”
Further, they affirmed their willingness to work with the Trump administration to adopt a “diverse mix of resources—including nuclear power, natural gas, hydropower, and other technologies” to support a reliable grid.
Empire Wind’s stop-work order was lifted after a month — and after the Trump administration allegedly secured a deal for a gas pipeline with New York state officials. New York Governor Hochul has denied a deal was made. Connecticut Governor Lamont recently said there was “a deal to be had” to address the Revolution Wind stoppage.
“As Governors, we are committed to delivering on this energy system for our states and working with the Trump Administration to advance projects that meet these objectives,” they wrote.
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org
I stand by my previous comments on Off Shore Wind, it should be shut down 100%, and we should always protect our Fishing Industry, Environment, Oceans, Rivers, Bays, Inlets, Coves, and Waterways.
Look at the failed policy of promoting renewable energy to the detriment of other sources. New England now has some of the highest electricity costs in the nation which is an extremely regressive tax on the working man. Coupled with sky-high housing costs this region becomes unlivable for working people.
Who will pay for the wind turbine removal and disposal?
Vineyard Wind’s only assets are the wind turbines.
Yes, that’s why wind and solar projects must proceed or we will pay much more for electricity. There’s no alternative until we developed safe nuclear power.
Revolution Wind, along with other offshore wind projects, was subject to extensive review and was permitted after meeting federal, state and local standards, including concerns for the environment and wildlife. There are even assurances for any fishing losses to be compensated.
Wind and solar are the most economical energy sources and, as stated in the letter to the editor, are a critical part of our energy future.
The “extensive reviews” you mention were not at all strict enough for any reasonable level of environmental protection. NOAA and BOEM allowed OSW to proceed knowing darn well what damage these construction projects are causing to the ocean environment, and the Public knew very little about this during the permitting process. NOAA’s “allowable take” for marine mammals during construction on Vineyard Wind included thousands of marine mammals, for just the first year. Multiply that by the number of years it takes for each installation to be completed and increase it for the larger number of monopiles for each site, and the numbers are staggering.
There’s more catastrophic damage to fish breeding grounds on the ocean floor that are being torn up to bury hundreds of miles of power cables between each turbine and all the way to shore. This network also includes transformers that use seawater to cool them and pump hot water into the ocean 24-7.
US Government Agencies have shown no concern for the ocean or sea life. They sold our oceans down the river.
The saddest part of the offshore wind ordeal is the amount of misinformation and propaganda surrounding it. I have been a commercial fisherman full time for over 47 years and have been around the industry since I was a child. In those years I have watched the fisheries shifting northward, at first I only saw and did not comprehend what was causing this migration north. Firstly I noticed the summer flounder had completely quit their annual migration southwards in the fall and no flounder were being caught along the beach from Cape Henry to Ocracoke, they vanished. Then scallop beds started dying from the North Carolina Virginia border northward at a rate of ten to fifteen miles per year, this happened well before windmills were ever being discussed, the summer flounder happened in the mid eighties, the Atlantic Sea Scallop began happening in the late nineties. A series of marine heatwaves along with a slow but constant increase in temperatures has and is changing all of our fisheries as they migrate towards the poles or cooler waters.
Solar is and will always be the way to go. Using crystal’s to intensify the sun’s heat and transfer to a large battery That will run your home and business.