Trump administration cancels $679 million for offshore wind projects

US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has withdrawn or terminated a total of $679 million in funding for 12 “doomed” offshore wind projects across America, according to a recent US Department of Transportation (DOT) news release.

The DOT statement said that “this action will ensure [that] federal dollars are prioritized towards restoring America’s maritime dominance and preventing waste.”

The Associated Press describ ed the move as “the latest attack by the Trump administration on the reeling US offshore wind industry.”

Funding for projects in 11 states was rescinded, including $435 million for a floating wind farm in Northern California and $47 million to boost an offshore wind project in Maryland that the Interior Department has pledged to cancel.

“Wasteful, wind projects are using resources that could otherwise go towards revitalizing America’s maritime industry,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. “Thanks to President Trump, we are prioritizing real infrastructure improvements over fantasy wind projects that cost much and offer little.”

According to the AP, the Trump administration has “stepped up its crusade against wind and other renewable energy sources” in recent weeks, cutting federal funding and canceling projects approved by the Biden administration in a “sustained attack on clean energy sources that scientists say are crucial to the fight against climate change.”

President Trump has vowed to restore US “energy dominance” in the global market and has pushed to increase U.S. reliance on fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas.

The canceled funding will be redirected to upgrade ports and other infrastructure in the US, where possible, the Transportation Department said.

Separately, Trump’s Energy Department said Friday it is withdrawing a $716 million loan guarantee approved by the Biden administration to upgrade and expand transmission infrastructure to accommodate a now-threatened offshore wind project in New Jersey.

The moves come as the administration halted construction last week of a nearly complete wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut. The Interior Department said the government needs to review the $4-billion Revolution Wind project and address national security concerns.

Trump has long expressed disdain for wind power, frequently calling it an ugly and expensive form of energy that “smart” countries do not use, according to AP reporting.

Last week, with US electricity prices rising at more than twice the rate of inflation, Trump lashed out, blaming renewable power for skyrocketing energy costs. “We’re not allowing any windmills to go up unless there’s a legal situation where somebody committed to it a long time ago,” Trump said at a Cabinet last week.

Orsted, Revolution Wind’s developer, said that it is evaluating the financial impact of stopping construction on the New England project and is considering legal proceedings.

Revolution Wind was expected to be Rhode Island and Connecticut’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, said to be capable of powering more than 350,000 homes.

Trump has made sweeping strides to prioritize fossil fuels and hinder renewable energy projects. Those include reviewing wind and solar energy permits, canceling plans to use large areas of federal waters for new offshore wind development, and stopping work on another offshore wind project for New York, Empire Wind, although construction was later allowed to resume.

The withdrawn and terminated projects are as follows:

Withdrawn

Sparrows Point Steel Marshalling Port Project (PIDP; $47,392,500)
Bridgeport Port Authority Operations and Maintenance Wind Port Project (PIDP;$10,530,000)
Wind Port at Paulsboro (PIDP; $20,494,025)
Arthur Kill Terminal (PIDP; $48,008,231)
Gateway Upgrades for Access, Resiliency & Development at the Port of Davisville Project (PIDP; $11,250,000)
Norfolk Offshore Wind Logistics Port (PIDP; $39,265,000)
Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind (INFRA; $426,719,810).