The U.S. Interior Department paused all work on large-scale wind projects under construction in the United States, citing national security.
The Trump administration on Monday escalated its battle against offshore wind by ordering a pause on all leases for large-scale wind projects under construction in the United States, this time citing national security threats.
The Department of the Interior said it is halting offshore wind leases effective immediately “due to national security risks identified by the Department of War in recently completed classified reports.”
“This pause will give the Department, along with the Department of War and other relevant government agencies, time to work with leaseholders and state partners to assess the possibility of mitigating the national security risks posed by these projects,” the agency said in a news release.
Some security experts described the justification as spurious and nonsensical and said offshore wind is key to ensuring grid reliability and meeting broader U.S. energy goals.
The order applies to five projects along the East Coast: Vineyard Wind off the coast of Massachusetts, Revolution Wind off the coast of Rhode Island, the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial Project, and Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind 1 off the coast of New York.
It is the latest in a string of federal actions against offshore wind, which has become a singular target amid Trump’s larger efforts to block new renewable energy. The president has supported a national energy strategy based primarily on fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal.
Trump in January issued an executive order calling for the temporary withdrawal of nearly all federal land and waters from new or renewed wind energy leasing, which he said “may lead to grave harm” including negative effects on national security, transportation and commercial interests. Last week, a federal judge struck down that order, calling it “arbitrary and capricious.”
In August, the administration cut $679 million for offshore wind projects, which it described as “doomed,” including $427 million that had been earmarked for California. The state has an ambitious goal of 25 gigawatts of floating offshore wind by 2045, which experts and officials say will be an important piece of the state’s clean energy portfolio to address climate change.
The Interior Department now says offshore wind turbines and towers create radar interference called “clutter,” which “obscures legitimate moving targets and generates false targets in the vicinity of the wind projects,” posing a threat to national security.
