Offshore wind developers and the attorneys general of Rhode Island and Connecticut are suing the federal authorities in an effort to reverse a stop-work order on a nearly complete wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island.
It’s the newest improvement in a quickly escalating battle between President Donald Trump’s administration and the offshore wind business over a number of ongoing and deliberate wind energy initiatives off the East Coast. Trump has continued to focus on wind energy in his second time period, releasing a collection of government orders and statements to undermine the business.
Danish firm Ørsted and its three way partnership accomplice Skyborn Renewables filed the lawsuit Thursday in DC District courtroom to attempt to end its Revolution Wind project, which was 80% complete when the stop-work order was issued final month. The states additionally introduced their intent to sue Thursday.
Thousands of jobs hang in the balance whereas the project is in limbo; Revolution Wind helps over 2,500 US jobs throughout development, operations, shipbuilding and manufacturing, an Ørsted spokesperson just lately advised NCS.
The project would offer sufficient energy to energy upwards of 350,000 houses throughout Rhode Island and Connecticut, in line with Ørsted. Reviews for the enterprise began over 9 years in the past and it obtained all required federal and state permits in 2023 beneath the Biden administration. The project was scheduled to be completed subsequent yr.
“Revolution Wind is projected to save Connecticut and Rhode Island ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars over 20 years,” a joint information launch from the states’ attorneys basic mentioned. Their grievance says “Rhode Island and Connecticut ‘seek to restore the rule of law, protect their energy and economic interests, and ensure that the federal government honors its commitments,’” in line with the discharge.
The developers are nonetheless attempting to work “collaboratively” with the Trump administration to resolve the stop-work order however consider the federal authorities “lacked legal authority for the stop-work order and that the stop-work order’s stated basis violated applicable law,” they mentioned in a information launch.
Trump Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace declined to remark on the litigation.
Revolution Wind is one in all a collection of initiatives focused by the federal authorities beneath Trump. In a Wednesday courtroom submitting for a separate case, the Trump administration mentioned it additionally deliberate to revoke approvals of the Avangrid-owned New England Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts, which was set to begin development this yr.
In April, an identical stop-work order was issued for one other offshore wind project in waters surrounding New York. That order was ultimately lifted in May after discussions between the administration, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the developer finally allowed development to proceed — however at a value of $955 million to the corporate behind the project.
Trump has lengthy been an opponent of wind energy, criticizing offshore wind for being too costly and saying it has detrimental impacts to wildlife round it. Trump’s cupboard secretaries have repeated a few of these claims, and though the Interior Department has the most important federal jurisdiction over offshore wind farm approvals, a number of different businesses have additionally gotten concerned in an effort to stymie the initiatives.
During a current White House cabinet meeting, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. talked about an “interdepartmental coalition” of businesses together with his, the Defense Department, Commerce Department, Energy Department and Environmental Protection Agency who “are all working on this issue” and “meeting together.”
“The economic outlook for offshore wind in the United States is not promising,” US Energy Sec. Chris Wright told Bloomberg in a Wednesday interview. “Offshore wind has been entirely a government-mandated, government-funded business.”