Two Democratic-run states and a wind farm venture sued the Trump administration after President Donald Trump canceled wind farm contracts.
Many of the wind farm contracts that Trump suddenly pulled were almost completed. Rhode Island and Connecticut sued the federal government to revive an offshore project meant to provide power to the New England states. Revolution Wind LLC, co-owned by Orsted and Global Infrastructure Partners, is seeking to revoke Trump’s Aug. 22 stop-work order to allow it to complete its project off the coast of Rhode Island.
“This is an utterly unlawful and baseless, and frankly senseless and stupid stop-work order,” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a Thursday press conference announcing the lawsuit, describing it as Trump’s “all-out war” on wind power.
Revolution Wind tapped into critics’ central complaint about Trump’s recent stoppage of windmill construction: It halts projects that are almost complete. The company said the $6 billion wind farm project is 80% complete.
Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman, told Bloomberg in a statement that Trump’s predecessor gave wind farms unfair preferential treatment.
“President Trump’s Day One executive order instructed agencies to review leases and permitting practices for wind projects with consideration for our country’s growing demands for reliable energy, effects on energy costs for American families, the importance of marine life and fishing industry, and the impacts on ocean currents and wind patterns,” Rogers said.
Trump has long opposed wind projects, accusing them of everything from inefficiency to killing whales. Canceling new wind projects was one of the first moves Trump made upon taking office for a second time.
DUFFY CANCELS $679M FOR OFFSHORE WIND AND REDIRECTS FUNDS FOR MARITIME USE
However, Trump’s decision to cancel wind projects has garnered controversy beyond environmental concerns. The Revolution Project alone was supporting 1,000 union workers. Hillary Bright, executive director of Turn Forward, told the Washington Examiner recently that Trump’s targeting of wind projects put “billions of dollars of investments, thousands of good union jobs, and the promise of reliable, affordable power at risk.”
“Communities up and down the East Coast have been counting on these projects for years, and delays now undermine the certainty that workers, businesses, and families need,” Bright said.
