The war against offshore wind 

[Good summmary, despite providing only one-sided reactions —NWW]

The Trump administration is once again targeting offshore wind with the issuing of a stop work order for five offshore wind projects currently under development off the east coast. Four of those five projects are directly to the east and southeast of Block Island, with the closest edges of Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind being just 15 miles off the coast. The fifth project, and the largest, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, is anticipated to have 176 turbines.

The order was issued by the Department of the Interior on Monday, December 22 and is predicated upon the belief that the wind farms constitute a risk to national security.

The order states: “The Department of the Interior announced today that it is pausing—effective immediately—the leases for all large-scale offshore wind projects under construction in the United States 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 prime duty of the United States government is to protect the American people,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers. The Trump administration will always prioritize the security of the American people.”

The order goes on to state: “As for the national security risks inherent to large-scale offshore wind projects, unclassified reports from the U.S. Government have long found that the movement of massive turbine blades and the highly reflective towers create radar interference called ‘clutter.’ The clutter caused by offshore wind projects obscures legitimate moving targets and generates false targets in the vicinity of the wind projects.”

“The Department of Energy in a 2024 report stated that a radar’s threshold for false alarm detection can be increased to reduce some clutter, but an increased detection threshold could cause the radar to ‘miss actual targets.’”

“Today’s action ensures that national security risks posed by offshore wind projects are appropriately addressed and that the United States government retains its ability to effectively defend the American people.”

In response, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement, “Today’s surprise suspension order affecting nearly a half-dozen of America’s wind energy sites, including nearly completed Revolution Wind off the coast of Rhode Island, is yet another attempt by this President to continue his all-out assault on wind energy. The actions of this Administration have undercut our clean energy infrastructure, causing Rhode Islanders to pay the price – in the cost of ever-increasing energy bills, placing well-paying jobs in jeopardy, and preventing a future of domestic clean energy production. The courts have already reaffirmed what we have known to be true since day one: that this President cannot cancel clean energy projects just because he believes doing so is politically expedient for him.”

“We are reviewing today’s suspension order, and will continue to stand up to this President when his actions threaten to harm Rhode Islanders,” said Neronha.

It was just earlier in the month, on December 8, that the Trump administration’s order banning new wind energy projects was overturned in court in a case brought by 10 environmental groups, State of New York v Trump, in May. Judge Patti Saris ruled that the order to halt new wind projects was “arbitrary and capricious and contrary to the law.”

The Conservation Law Foundation was one of those groups and in a press re- lease, CLF Senior Vice President for Law and Policy Kate Sinding Daly said, “This is not just a victory for wind power, but for the rule of law…This unlawful moratorium was a blatant gift to polluting fossil fuel companies by the Trump administration, but the court saw right through that. Countless workers and families who rely on this industry for jobs, affordable and reliable energy, and clean air can breathe a little easier today.”

The federal government also claimed matters of national security when the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued an order in August 2025 “to halt all ongoing activities related to the Revolution Wind Project on the outer continental shelf to allow time for it to address concerns that have arisen during the review that the Department is undertaking pursuant to the President’s Memorandum of January 20, 2025.”

Orsted, the developer of the Block Island Wind Farm, the first offshore wind farm in the United States with five turbines three-and-a-half miles off the coast of Block Island, is a Danish company that owns a 50-percent stake in Revolution Wind as well as a 50-percent stake in Sunrise Wind.

To build the Block Island Wind Farm, ships and turbine components and cables were brought in from all over the world simply because the United States lacked the necessary manufacturing and shipping capabilities for offshore wind. In anticipation of further projects, the company has been instrumental in building out the in- dustry on this side of the pond and notes on its website for Revolution Wind:

“Orsted is leading the buildout of the American offshore wind industry with a focus on its growing Northeast hub, which includes ports, vessels, a trained workforce, a growing supply chain and much more. Extending across the United States, Ørsted’s supply chain reaches 44 states, reinvigorating local jobs in manufacturing, steel, maritime and much more.”

“As we build Revolution Wind, we’re also investing in long-term infrastructure improvements at ProvPort, Quonset, and State Pier – establishing these ports as centers of the region’s growing blue economy. With hundreds of new union jobs, local supply chain contracts, and state-of-the-art infrastructure built for land, air, and sea, we’re ensuring New England’s ports are bustling with offshore wind activity for decades to come.”

The August order halting activity on Revolution Wind was overturned by a judge on September 22, 2025 with the judge ruling the order had been “arbitrary and capricious” and that there was insufficient evidence to back up the concern about national security.

At about the same time, on August 6, 2025, the Department of the Interior announced that it was “launching a full review of offshore wind energy regulations to ensure alignment with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and America’s energy priorities under President Donald J. Trump. This effort includes reviewing the Renewable Energy Modernization Rule, as well as financial assurance requirements and decommissioning cost estimates for offshore wind projects, to ensure federal regulations do not provide preferential treatment to unreliable, foreign-controlled energy sources over dependable, American-made energy.”

Revolution Wind is a 65-turbine project that is almost complete, despite the month-long shutdown. It is expected to deliver 304 megawatts of energy to Connecticut and 400 megawatts to Rhode Island, enough to power more than 350,000 homes.

Orsted announced in its Mariners Briefing for December 23 that: “Revolution Wind, LLC, and Sunrise Wind, LLC are complying with the Director’s Order issued by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Monday, December 22, 2025, and suspending activities on the outer continental shelf related to their respective projects in a manner that prevents impacts to health, safety, and the environment. The Director’s Order states that the projects “may perform any activities that are necessary to respond to emergency situations and/or prevent impacts on health, safety and the environment. Accordingly, a limited number of vessels may be in the Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind lease areas for certain limited activities, in compliance with the Order.”

Besides Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind, the Dec. 22 order affects Vineyard Wind 1, which is near completion, with just one of 62 turbines still to be installed as of December 22, according to The New Bedford Light.

Vineyard Wind will be able to generate 800 megawatts of electricity and power over 400,000 homes at peak production. It is 50 percent owned by funds of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and 50 percent owned by Avangrid, with the energy going to Massachusetts.

The fifth wind farm to be affected is Empire Wind 1, which is being built by Equinor, an international energy company with more than 20 years of experience in offshore wind, according to Empire Wind’s website. It will have 54 turbines and expects to become commercial in 2027, with the power generated going to New York. It received its approvals in February 2024 and construction began later that spring. Foundation installation began in June 2025 and has since been completed. An offshore substation was to be installed in early 2026 along with the start of blade and wind turbine generator installation.

In all, the five projects are expected to provide a total of 5,838 megawatts at peak production. Regarding the cluster of wind farms off Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket, the Vineyard Wind website states: “This area boasts powerful, reliable wind speeds and ideal site conditions to support wind turbines.”

John Rogers, associate director for energy analytics at the Union of Concerned Scientists, in response to the U.S. Interior Department ordering the December 22 pause on all leases for large-scale offshore wind projects, said, “This move is outrageous and incredibly shortsighted. It puts in jeopardy thousands of good-paying American jobs, billions of dollars in investments, and enough electricity for millions of households—particularly during severe winter storms when people need that power the most. President Trump’s irrational obsession with fighting one of the cleanest, cheapest sources of power our country has to offer cannot stand. Santa’s sleigh is absolutely going to be skipping Mar-a-Lago this Christmas.”