In a move that has shocked the renewable-energy community, the Trump administration has ordered the suspension of five large-scale offshore wind projects off the East Coast for at least 90 days.
The Pause and Its Basis
The Interior Department, through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), issued letters to the developers of the projects. The letters state that the pause will allow the agency to “determine whether the national security threats posed by this project can be adequately mitigated,” and that the 90-day period can be extended if necessary.
The administration announced the suspension on Monday, citing national security concerns. No specific details about those concerns were provided in the announcement.
Details from the Interior Department Letters
The letters reveal that the Defense Department recently completed an assessment of the national security implications of offshore wind projects and supplied the Interior Department with new classified information. The information includes:
- The rapid evolution of relevant adversary technologies
- The resulting direct impacts to national security from offshore wind projects
The letters emphasize that the potential impacts are “heightened by the projects’ sensitive location on the East Coast and the potential to cause serious, immediate and irreparable harm to our great nation.” The documents were signed by Matthew Giacona, the acting director of BOEM and a former lobbyist for the National Ocean Industries Association.
Kirk Lippold, a national-security expert and former Commander of the USS Cole, said concerns about wind turbines’ possible effects on radar systems “have been known for decades.” In an interview on Tuesday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum asked, “I want to know what’s changed? What threat vector has changed? Have the Chinese developed new weapons or techniques that we’re unaware of and can’t fight against?” Lippold replied, “To my knowledge, nothing has changed in the threat environment that would drive us to stop any offshore wind programs.”
House Democrats have called for an ethics investigation into Giacona’s actions since taking over at the agency that manages offshore waters. They argue that Giacona’s work may directly overlap with his prior lobbying work for the ocean-industries group. A spokesperson for Interior said Giacona “is a highly qualified and ethically sound employee who is working tirelessly on behalf of this administration to make real change for the American people.”
Political Reactions
Wind proponents slammed the administration’s move as another blow in an ongoing attack on clean energy. Democratic governors of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York issued a joint statement on Tuesday vowing to fight the action. They described the pause as “lands like a lump of dirty coal for the holiday season for American workers, consumers and investors.”
The governors said the pause “defies logic, will hurt our bid for energy independence, will drive up costs for America’s ratepayers and will make us lose thousands of good-paying jobs.” They also warned it “threatens grid reliability that is needed to keep the lights on.”
The statement was issued by Govs. Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Kathy Hochul of New York and Dan McKee of Rhode Island.
Senate and House Perspectives
Two Democratic senators said the lease suspensions mean that congressional efforts to approve bipartisan permitting reform are “dead in the water.” The House had approved legislation last week aimed at speeding up permitting reviews for new energy and infrastructure projects. The bill would also limit judicial review as Congress seeks to enact the most significant change in decades to the National Environmental Policy Act.
Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico said Monday that with House approval, “there was a deal to be had that would have taken politics out of permitting, made the process faster and more efficient, and streamlined grid infrastructure improvements nationwide.” They added that any deal would have to be administered by the Trump administration, whose “reckless and vindictive assault on wind energy” destroys the trust needed for true permitting reform.
Whitehouse is the top Democrat on the Senate environment panel, while Heinrich is the senior Democrat on the committee on energy and natural resources.
Key Takeaways
- Five East Coast offshore wind projects are suspended for at least 90 days due to national security concerns.
- Interior Department letters cite classified information and a Defense Department assessment as the basis for the pause.
- Governors and lawmakers criticize the move, citing economic, job, and grid reliability impacts.
The pause marks a significant setback for offshore wind development and highlights the tension between national security claims and renewable-energy expansion.
*McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island.*
