Feds face lawsuit over frozen New England offshore wind farm

WASHINGTON (CN) — Developers of an offshore wind farm in New England sued the Trump administration Thursday for suddenly halting construction on a project they say was nearly 80% complete.

Revolution Wind brought the suit in the District of Columbia federal court to challenge a stop-work order set by Matthew Giacona, acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, on Aug. 22.

According to the energy company, the wind farm is projected to deliver enough energy to power 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut and delays could hurt the New England grid’s reliability during the summer and winter peaks.

Revolution Wind says 45 of 65 wind turbines have been installed, and all the turbine foundations are already in place on the ocean floor. The company added it has spent approximately $5 billion on the project already, and would incur over $1 billion in breakaway costs if the project were cancelled.

The company accused President Donald Trump of personal dislike for the industry.

“The president has apparent hostility towards offshore wind, including based on statements made on the campaign trail. And even on the day of his inauguration, the president made statements against the offshore wind industry,” the company wrote in its brief.

Revolution Wind is one of many green energy companies to have work suddenly shut down by the administration, as Trump has targeted many projects funded through former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.

On Aug. 29, the Department of Transportation clawed back $679 million in federal infrastructure grants allocated for offshore wind projects.

On Jan. 20, Trump issued a presidential memorandum withdrawing the Outer Continental Shelf from offshore wind leasing, halting all new permits and requiring agencies to review whether existing permits can be cancelled.

On July 29, Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued a secretarial order, citing Trump’s memo, ordering the interior assistant secretary of Land and Minerals Management to review effects of taxpayer-funded subsidies on the wind industry and impacts offshore wind projects may have on military readiness.

Giacona then issued the stop-work order on Aug. 22, halting the Revolution Wind project pending a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management review of national security concerns. The company notes that the Department of Defense had cleared the project and the order does not contain accusations of any illegal conduct.

The project began in 2016, when Revolution Wind started assessing where to develop a wind farm while adhering to environmental regulations. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management remained closely involved, issuing a final environmental impact statement in July 2023 before approving work on the project that November.

The company said the project has employed over 2,000 people, including 800 local union members, all of whom would lose their jobs.

Revolution Wind is requesting a federal judge declare the stop-work order unlawful and issue a preliminary injunction preventing the government from enforcing it and otherwise interfering with the completion of the project.

According to local media, Governor Dan McKee sent Burgum a letter Wednesday outlining the economic fallout of the project’s cancellation and asking to meet with the president.

“The stop-work order undermines efforts to expand our energy supply, lower costs for families and businesses, and strengthen regional reliability,” McKee wrote in the letter. “This action puts hundreds of well-paid blue-collar jobs at risk by halting a project that is just steps away from powering more than 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut.”

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management did not respond to a request for comment.

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