Trump's War on Offshore Wind Power Takes a Hit in Federal Courts
A recent slew of rulings by federal judges has dealt a significant blow to Donald Trump's administration's attempts to halt construction on four major offshore wind mega-projects along the east coast. The projects, which are expected to generate nearly five gigawatts of energy - enough to power 3.5 million homes - have been deemed critical for meeting America's energy affordability crisis.
In December, the Trump administration issued a stop-work order citing "reasons of national security," but judges across different jurisdictions have rejected these claims, paving the way for construction to resume on Vineyard Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Empire Wind 1 and Revolution Wind. A fifth project, Sunrise Wind, is also fighting its own stop-work order, with a court hearing scheduled for Monday that industry experts predict will yield a positive outcome.
Critics of the Trump administration's stance on offshore wind argue that it was a pretext to undermine the development of clean energy sources. "This is a broad rejection of the administration's arguments," said John Carlson, senior north-east regional policy manager for the climate non-profit Clean Air Task Force. "All these projects already went through very significant national security reviews."
The impact of Trump's actions on offshore wind has been severe, with the industry experiencing a nosedive in new project approvals due to slashed tax credits from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. BloombergNEF now predicts only 6.1 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2035 - a far cry from pre-election projections of 39 gigawatts.
While some see Trump's war on offshore wind as a temporary setback, others believe it will have long-term consequences for the industry. "This is not the end of what has been an absolute war on wind from the Trump administration," said Kris Ohleth, director of the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind. "We're happy to have the win in court, but in the broader context, we are a very challenged industry right now."
Despite the challenges posed by the Trump administration's actions, experts are already looking forward to 2029, when they hope that a new administration will take a more favorable stance on offshore wind. In the meantime, the industry is turning to friendly states and working with them on transmission reforms, procurement reform, permitting updates, ports and vessel strategy.
While Trump may have lost this battle in court, he has succeeded in creating risk and uncertainty for the industry - a prospect that Carlson sees as a temporary hurdle rather than an insurmountable obstacle. "But I don't think that means he's necessarily winning," he said. "That just means we need to be very thoughtful and innovative in how we move forward."
A recent slew of rulings by federal judges has dealt a significant blow to Donald Trump's administration's attempts to halt construction on four major offshore wind mega-projects along the east coast. The projects, which are expected to generate nearly five gigawatts of energy - enough to power 3.5 million homes - have been deemed critical for meeting America's energy affordability crisis.
In December, the Trump administration issued a stop-work order citing "reasons of national security," but judges across different jurisdictions have rejected these claims, paving the way for construction to resume on Vineyard Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Empire Wind 1 and Revolution Wind. A fifth project, Sunrise Wind, is also fighting its own stop-work order, with a court hearing scheduled for Monday that industry experts predict will yield a positive outcome.
Critics of the Trump administration's stance on offshore wind argue that it was a pretext to undermine the development of clean energy sources. "This is a broad rejection of the administration's arguments," said John Carlson, senior north-east regional policy manager for the climate non-profit Clean Air Task Force. "All these projects already went through very significant national security reviews."
The impact of Trump's actions on offshore wind has been severe, with the industry experiencing a nosedive in new project approvals due to slashed tax credits from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. BloombergNEF now predicts only 6.1 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2035 - a far cry from pre-election projections of 39 gigawatts.
While some see Trump's war on offshore wind as a temporary setback, others believe it will have long-term consequences for the industry. "This is not the end of what has been an absolute war on wind from the Trump administration," said Kris Ohleth, director of the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind. "We're happy to have the win in court, but in the broader context, we are a very challenged industry right now."
Despite the challenges posed by the Trump administration's actions, experts are already looking forward to 2029, when they hope that a new administration will take a more favorable stance on offshore wind. In the meantime, the industry is turning to friendly states and working with them on transmission reforms, procurement reform, permitting updates, ports and vessel strategy.
While Trump may have lost this battle in court, he has succeeded in creating risk and uncertainty for the industry - a prospect that Carlson sees as a temporary hurdle rather than an insurmountable obstacle. "But I don't think that means he's necessarily winning," he said. "That just means we need to be very thoughtful and innovative in how we move forward."
. The fact that judges across different jurisdictions rejected Trump's claims about national security is a huge win for clean energy and a lesson in perseverance 
. It just goes to show that even when we face obstacles, we can't give up and keep pushing forward 
. And I think the industry is being really smart by working with friendly states and finding ways to innovate 
. The key takeaway here is that sometimes you have to take a step back and regroup before moving forward again 
.
. All these years of climate denial and sabotage, and it finally looks like there's some progress being made. I'm not surprised that judges saw through the "national security" nonsense - it was always a weak excuse. Now we just need to hope that whoever comes in next doesn't try to undo all this hard work 
. And 6.1 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2035? That's still nothing compared to where we should be 
. Let's keep the momentum going and make sure those states are pushing for real change 
.
. all these new projects are a huge deal, like 3.5 million homes powered... can't believe the admin was trying to stop this 
. industry's already struggling with tax credits and stuff, so this isn't good. fingers crossed for 2029 tho 
those judges just ruined Trump's plans to stop offshore wind farms from building 
They already went through extensive reviews, so what's left to hide? 
.
but its clear the courts are on the side of sanity 
️ 5 gigawatts of clean energy is a big deal, could've powered 3.5 million homes 
new project approvals have plummeted and tax credits are slashed, it's a tough road ahead 
, can't believe the Trump admin is still trying to sabotage our country's transition to clean energy 
.
. The industry is already feeling the hit from those slashed tax credits and now this stop-work order drama 
.
. We still have a long way to go before we can say the Trump admin's war on wind is officially over 
.
, but Trumps war on clean energy is still a thing 
. Now, we gotta deal with slashed tax credits and industry uncertainty 
. 6.1 gigawatts by 2035? That's a nosedive 
. Let's see how the next admin handles it... will offshore wind get the love it deserves 
or just get pushed to the side like a dirty little secret 
.
! Trump's war on offshore wind power is like, super clear example of how backwards the US government can be. The fact that they're trying to halt these projects just because some politicians think it's "national security" is laughable 
. Who benefits from this? Not the people, that's for sure 
.
.
. Let's keep the momentum going and create a brighter future for all of us! 
... but at the same time, this whole thing feels like a big mess 
... will we ever get it together again? 