By ISABELLA O’MALLEY Associated Press
The Trump administration halted construction on a nearly complete offshore wind project near Rhode Island as the White House evaluates the project.
Danish wind farm developer Orsted says the Revolution Wind project is about 80% complete, with 45 out of its 65 turbines already installed.
Despite that progress — and the fact that the project had cleared years of federal and state reviews — the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued the order Friday, saying the federal government needs to review the project and “address concerns related to the protection of national security interests of the United States.”
It did not specify what the national security concerns are.
President Donald Trump has made sweeping strides to prioritize fossil fuels and hinder renewable energy projects. Trump recently called wind and solar power “THE SCAM OF THE CENTURY!” in a social media post and vowed not to approve wind or “farmer destroying Solar” projects. “The days of stupidity are over in the USA!!!” he wrote on his Truth Social site this week.
Scientists across the globe agree that nations need to rapidly embrace renewable energy to stave off the worst effects of climate change, including extreme heat and drought; larger, more intense wildfires, and supercharged hurricanes, typhoons, and rainstorms that lead to catastrophic flooding.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is scheduled to go to State Pier in New London, Connecticut, on Monday, where components for the Revolution Wind project are kept before being taken out to sea. Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee is headed to North Kingstown, Rhode Island, where the logistics and operations hub for the project is located.
McKee says Revolution Wind is critical to the region’s economy and energy future.
Both governors will be joined by Democratic congressmen and labor leaders. About 1,000 union members have been working on Revolution Wind, and those jobs are now at risk.
Construction on Revolution Wind began in 2023, and the project was expected to be fully operational next year. Orsted says it is evaluating the financial impact of stopping construction and is considering legal proceedings.
Revolution Wind is located more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of the Rhode Island coast, 32 miles (51 kilometers) southeast of the Connecticut coast, and 12 miles (19 kilometers) southwest of Martha’s Vineyard. Rhode Island is already home to one offshore wind farm, the five-turbine Block Island Wind Farm.
Revolution Wind was expected to be Rhode Island and Connecticut’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, capable of powering more than 350,000 homes. The densely populated states have minimal space available for land-based energy projects, which is why the offshore wind project is considered crucial for the states to meet their climate goals.
“This arbitrary decision defies all logic and reason — Revolution Wind’s project was already well underway and employed hundreds of skilled tradesmen and women. This is a major setback for a critical project in Connecticut, and I will fight it,” Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Wind power is the largest source of renewable energy in the U.S. and provides about 10% of the electricity generated in the nation.
“Today, the U.S. has only one fully operational large-scale offshore wind project producing power. That is not enough to meet America’s rising energy needs. We need more energy of all types, including oil and gas, wind, and new and emerging technologies,” said Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association, a group that supports offshore oil, gas, and wind.
Green Oceans, a nonprofit that opposes the offshore wind industry, applauded the BOEM’s decision. “We are grateful that the Trump Administration and the federal government are taking meaningful action to preserve the fragile ocean environment off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts,” the nonprofit said in a statement.
This is the second major offshore wind project the White House has halted. Work was stopped on Empire Wind, a New York offshore wind project, but construction was allowed to resume after New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Gov. Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, intervened.
“This administration has it exactly backwards. It’s trying to prop up clunky, polluting coal plants while doing all it can to halt the fastest growing energy sources of the future – solar and wind power,” said Kit Kennedy, managing director for the power division at Natural Resources Defense Council, in a statement. “Unfortunately, every American is paying the price for these misguided decisions.”
The American Clean Power Association released the following statement from ACP CEO Jason Grumet:
“Revolution Wind has been years in the making, planned, permitted, and financed under clear federal rules. Stopping construction now, when it is 80 percent complete, is more than a bureaucratic delay — it’s a broken promise to the communities, workers, consumers, and businesses counting on this project.
“This is not the first time extreme partisan politics has derailed sound energy policy. The unfortunate message to investors is clear: the U.S. is no longer a reliable place for long-term energy investments.
“Rhode Island and Connecticut families and businesses deserve the power Revolution Wind will provide. More than 1,000 American workers have already logged two million union work hours on this project, they deserve the jobs it will create. The nation deserves a governing system that keeps its promises.
“Here again, the Trump Administration is raising alarms about rising energy prices while blocking new supply from reaching the grid. Taking jobs away from American families while raising their energy bills is not leadership. American workers and consumers deserve better.”
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Reporter Jennifer McDermott contributed from Providence, Rhode Island, and Matthew Daly contributed from Washington.
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