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WASHINGTON \u2014 A federal judge recently ruled a nearly complete offshore wind project halted by the administration can resume, dealing President Donald Trump a setback in his ongoing effort to restrict the fledgling industry.<\/p>\n
Work on the nearly completed Revolution Wind project for Rhode Island and Connecticut has been paused since Aug. 22 when the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a stop-work order for what it said were national security concerns. The Interior Department agency did not specify those concerns at the time. Both the developer and the two states sued in federal courts.<\/p>\n
Danish energy company Orsted and its joint venture partner Skyborn Renewables sought a preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court that would allow them to move forward with the project.<\/p>\n
At a hearing Sept. 22, Judge Royce Lamberth said he considered how Revolution Wind has relied on its federal approval, the delays are costing $2.3 million a day and if the project can\u2019t meet deadlines, the entire enterprise could collapse. After December, the specialized ship needed to complete the project won\u2019t be available until at least 2028, he said. More than 1,000 people have been working on the wind farm, which is 80% complete.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no question in my mind of irreparable harm to the plaintiffs,\u201d Lamberth said, as he granted the motion for the preliminary injunction. In his written ruling, he said Revolution Wind had \u201cdemonstrated likelihood of success on the merits\u201d of its claim, adding that granting the injunction is in the public interest.<\/p>\n
Interior Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Peace said the ruling means Revolution Wind \u201cwill be able to resume construction\u201d while the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management \u201ccontinues its investigation into possible impacts by the project to national security and prevention of other uses on the Outer Continental Shelf.\u201d<\/p>\n
The administration said in a court filing this month that while BOEM approved the wind farm, it stipulated that the developer continue to work with the Department of Defense to mitigate national security concerns. It said the Interior Department, to date, has not received any information that these concerns have been addressed.<\/p>\n
Orsted said construction will resume as soon as possible, and it will continue to seek to work collaboratively with the administration.<\/p>\n
Nancy Pyne of the Sierra Club said the court ruling \u201creaffirms that Donald Trump and his administration\u2019s attacks on clean energy are not only reckless and harmful to our communities, but they are also illegal.\u201d Trump is trying to \u201ckneecap\u201d renewable energy \u201cin favor of dirty and expensive fossil fuels,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump was elected with a mandate to \u201crestore our country\u2019s energy dominance \u2014 which includes prioritizing the most effective and reliable tools to power our country. This will not be the final say on the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to end the offshore wind industry as soon as he returned to the White House. He wants to boost production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, which emit greenhouse gases that cause climate change, in order for the U.S. to have the lowest-cost energy and electricity of any nation in the world, he says.<\/p>\n
His administration has stopped construction on major offshore wind farms, revoked wind energy permits and paused permitting, canceled plans to use large areas of federal waters for new offshore wind development and stopped $679 million in federal funding for a dozen offshore wind projects.<\/p>\n
Last week, the administration moved to block a separate Massachusetts offshore wind farm. That was just days after the Interior Department asked a federal judge in Baltimore to cancel previous approval to build an offshore wind project in Maryland.<\/p>\n
Revolution Wind is supposed to be Rhode Island\u2019s and Connecticut\u2019s first large offshore wind farm, capable of supplying power to more than 350,000 homes, about 2.5% of the region\u2019s electricity needs.<\/p>\n
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, who are both Democrats, called the judge\u2019s ruling a major win for workers and families, who need the project to stay on track so it can start to drive down unaffordable energy bills.<\/p>\n
Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat, said a multibillion-dollar project that is 80% complete and was fully permitted with input by the Pentagon is not a national security problem. The Interior Department \u201cshould take the hint and let the thousands of construction workers finish the job,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Orsted began construction in 2024 about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of the Rhode Island coast. It says in its complaint that about $5 billion has been spent or committed, and it expects more than $1 billion in costs if the project is canceled. Rhode Island is already home to one offshore wind farm, the five-turbine Block Island Wind Farm.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n