The Interior Department paused leases for five under-construction offshore wind projects on national security grounds, marking the latest in the Trump administration’s crackdown on wind energy.
The department announced Monday morning that it halted five offshore wind projects along the East Coast, including Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, CVOW – Commercial, Sunrise Wind, and Empire Wind 1.
The five projects had obtained all of the required federal permits and were at various stages of construction. Empire Wind was expected to come online next year.
The Interior Department paused the leases for these projects over national security concerns related to the movement of massive turbine blades and the highly reflective towers, which create radar interference called “clutter.” The department argued that “clutter” can obscure legitimate targets and generate false targets in their vicinity.
“Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. “The Trump administration will always prioritize the security of the American people.”
Over the last 12 months, the offshore wind industry has faced an onslaught of policy action aimed at preventing the industry from growing under President Donald Trump’s second administration, including increasing regulatory hurdles and the cancellation of more than $679 million in funding for offshore wind-related projects.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration attempted to halt under-construction projects, namely Empire Wind and Revolution Wind, by issuing stop-work orders.
The stop-work order imposed on the Empire Wind project in New York was lifted in May after the administration said it made a deal with Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) to approve two gas pipelines. Revolution Wind was allowed to move forward after the administration was forced to lift the stop-work order by a federal judge.
The offshore wind industry was handed another win in early December when a federal judge also ruled that Trump’s executive order halting permits for wind projects was unlawful.
The judge said the Trump administration failed to provide adequate justification for its moratorium on wind energy permits and criticized the administration for framing the moratorium as temporary, despite not providing a timeline for its comprehensive assessment and review of wind leasing and permitting practices.
Monday’s pause on the project leases comes several months after the New York Times reported that the White House instructed six agencies, including the Department of War and the Health and Human Services Department, to investigate possible risks of offshore wind farms.
By citing national security concerns, the Trump administration may be seeking a way to circumvent the legal challenges it has already faced in its crackdown on offshore wind.
Interior did not say whether it would be canceling the leases for the projects, only that the pause would allow the agency to work with other relevant departments, leaseholders, and state partners to “assess the possibility of mitigating the national security risks posed by these projects.”
All five projects were scheduled to complete construction within the next couple of years, with Revolution Wind, CVOW – Commercial, and Empire Wind 1 all expected to deliver power sometime next year.
Sunrise Wind was expected to come online in 2027. Meanwhile, Vineyard Wind 1 was already generating power and was expected to be at full commercial operation by the end of this year.
The administration’s crackdown on offshore wind has been criticized by Republican lawmakers as well as those within the fossil fuel industry, who warn the administration’s actions could be “damaging” to future oil and gas projects.
“However far the pendulum swings one way, it’s likely that it’s going to swing just as far the other way,” Shell USA President Colette Hirstius said in October.
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Democrats have decried the administration for its targeting of offshore wind for months, and have been hesitant to sign on to major bipartisan reform to the federal permitting process for fear that Trump would block the offshore wind industry from benefiting from any attempts to accelerate permitting.
Last week, the House successfully advanced the bipartisan SPEED Act with the support of 11 Democratic lawmakers. Several others agreed with the intention of the bill but refused to vote in favor without a signal that the administration would no longer crack down on wind.
