Trump administration pauses five major East Coast wind projects

This week, the Trump administration suspended the leases for five offshore wind projects along the East Coast.

“Trump obviously doesn’t care much about the future,” said Democratic Rep. John Larson from Connecticut, one of the states impacted. “He only cares about himself.”

The administration is citing national security concerns for this pause. They say it’s to give the Interior Department, which oversees offshore wind, time to look into any security risks — they did not specify what those national security risks are.

In a statement, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said, “Offshore wind is one of the most expensive, unreliable, subsidy-dependent schemes ever pushed upon American taxpayers.”

The nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund disagrees.

“We shouldn’t be kneecapping America’s largest source of renewable power, especially now when we need more cheap homegrown electricity,” Ted Kelly, Director and Lead Counsel for U.S. Clean Energy, said.

The projects impacted are Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts, Revolution Wind in Connecticut and Rhode Island, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, and Sunrise and Empire Wind in New York.

Kelly says all these projects are in late stages of construction, with Vineyard Wind already 50% operational, generating enough energy to power about 400,000 homes.

“This administration has really focused on the fact that we need more electricity, but I really wish that they would recognize that things like offshore wind, as well as onshore wind and solar, and battery storage are really critical to getting that electricity we need,” Kelly explained.

Larson says Connecticut’s Attorney General William Tong is working to legally challenge this latest suspension — a federal judge already struck down President Trump’s executive order blocking wind energy projects.

“We want to know exactly what this national security issue is,” Larson said. “Forgive us if we sound a little skeptical about the true urgency here.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, (D-CT) sent a letter to Burgum and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, demanding a classified briefing on the national security concerns with these projects by January 8.