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Trump Administration Blocks U.S. Wind
Coverage from The New York Times, The Guardian, and others
Articles
67
Active Days
114
The Topic
The Trump administration is using permitting delays, halted military reviews, and payments to terminate offshore wind leases to restrict U.S. wind development, while directing public support toward coal, natural gas, and selected alternatives such as geothermal energy. The actions have stalled or canceled projects across multiple states and coastal regions, putting billions of dollars in planned investment and associated jobs at risk. Lawsuits from renewable-energy groups and state governments are challenging the legality of several measures, while officials defend them as efforts to prioritize reliable and affordable power.
First Article: 03/19/26
Latest Article: 07/10/26
Summary
- Pentagon reviews for at least 106 proposed onshore wind projects have been stalled across 21 states.
- The Interior Department has arranged offshore lease cancellations costing more than $2.5 billion in public reimbursements.
- Canceled or delayed projects include developments in the New York Bight, Gulf of Maine, California, and several central and western states.
- Invenergy said it will redirect its $765 million reimbursement toward natural gas and geothermal projects.
- Federal agencies are also providing financial and administrative support to coal plants and other fossil-fuel infrastructure.
- Renewable-energy groups and multiple state governments are challenging the administration’s actions in federal court.
- The policy shift has raised concerns about missed tax-credit deadlines, supply-chain investment, electricity costs, and future power availability.
History
The core crackdown on wind remains the same, but the story now more clearly centers on offshore lease cancellations, reimbursements, and the growing legal fight over those actions. It also adds more explicit support for coal and natural gas as the administration’s preferred beneficiaries.
The story now puts more weight on the scale of the disruption and the policy’s broader energy-market implications, especially the job losses and the redirection of support toward fossil fuels and geothermal. It also sharpens the legal and stakeholder conflict by emphasizing opposition from renewable groups, states, and coastal regions facing supply and demand uncertainty.
Featured
06-12-2026
Regional renewable energy groups requested a District of Oregon preliminary injunction in 2020s litigation to compel the Pentagon to resume onshore wind radar and flight-path reviews.
06-17-2026
Interior Department will reimburse Invenergy $765 million to cancel four offshore wind leases, shifting investment toward Midwest natural gas plants and Western geothermal projects.
07-10-2026
Since March, the Department of the Interior canceled eight offshore wind projects while the Department of Energy and other agencies allocated billions to extend and expand US coal generation.
Timeline: 114 Days
Hover over any logo to see coverage summary, click for full article.
Additional Articles
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The Department of the Interior agreement to reimburse TotalEnergies for abandoning offshore wind leases drew criticism from Katharine Kollins and support from Doug Burgum.
Legal experts questioned the legality of a proposed $928 million offshore wind lease buyback between Interior and TotalEnergies after courts vacated a Trump permitting moratorium in December.
New York and seven states sued the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., over a TotalEnergies offshore wind lease payback agreement, alleging unlawful use of taxpayer funds.
On March 23, the Trump administration announced a TotalEnergies deal to halt two offshore wind projects off New York and North Carolina and redirect funds to LNG and Gulf oil and gas, raising uncertainty over legality and market risk.
The Trump administration announced a 928 million dollar offshore wind lease cancellation for TotalEnergies off New York and North Carolina, pairing reimbursements with Texas LNG and oil and gas investments.
Seven Northeastern states sued Interior in federal court in Washington, D.C. over a March $928 million offshore wind lease refund to TotalEnergies.
The Trump administration cancels offshore wind leases for Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind, reimbursing leaseholders nearly $1 billion via Judgment Fund offsets in U.S. oil and gas investments.
Renewable trade groups and wind developers sued the Pentagon and FAA in the United States in 2025 over turbine height clearance delays affecting new wind project approvals.
The U.S. Department of the Interior, Supreme Court, and state regulators influenced offshore wind leasing, FERC-NRC oversight, and transmission permitting while coal and battery-paired renewables shifted power investment.
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Renewable energy groups sued the Pentagon in Oregon in 2026, alleging stalled national security reviews delayed onshore wind projects and threatened $47 billion in investment across 21 states.
The U.S. Department of the Interior agreed with Invenergy on a $765 million offshore wind lease buyout affecting projects in the New York Bight, Gulf of Maine, and Morro Bay.
Trump administration and Pentagon review processes have stalled 165 US onshore wind projects since August 2025, totaling about 30 GW.
Interior Department announced an $885 million reimbursement to cancel Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind offshore leases, exchanging wind withdrawal for fossil investment pledges.
Trump administration actions pause multiple East Coast offshore wind projects and federal lease activity as offshore wind growth continues globally led by China in 2025.
Nine renewable groups sued the Pentagon in Oregon federal court in 2026 to require resumption of national security reviews for new land-based wind projects on private land.
Trump administration considering near $2 billion offshore wind lease buyouts for Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind, with reinvestment plans in fossil fuels.
Wind siting and carbon removal timelines are stressed by policy actions and project issues while Volkswagen EV profitability and SEG Solar manufacturing expansion progress amid related market dynamics in the 2020s.
TotalEnergies ended 4 gigawatts of U.S. offshore wind development, receiving a $928 million reimbursement on reinvestment in hydrocarbon projects, disclosed March 23 in Texas.
TotalEnergies agreed with the Trump administration to abandon two offshore wind projects for a seven-figure payout, while China, New York, and grid operators advanced critical-minerals, nuclear siting, and flexible-load connection standards.
U.S. Department of the Interior announced a nearly $1 billion refund to TotalEnergies for Atlantic offshore wind leases while pairing lease surrender with Gulf Coast oil and gas investment.
Environmental groups filed an amicus brief on June 18, 2026 in Oregon federal court urging a preliminary injunction against a Defense Department wind review freeze.
The Trump administration in the U.S. offered nearly $2 billion to offshore wind developers to exit projects after a 2025 approvals halt and a federal judge block.
Steven Cohen-backed commentary links U.S. executive orders and court rulings to delayed wind projects and $2 billion offshore buyouts.
Revolution Wind began operating in Rhode Island and Connecticut while the U.S. administration reimbursed TotalEnergies to forfeit East Coast offshore wind leases.
Trump administration announced a 928 million payment to TotalEnergies in 2020s to cancel offshore wind projects off New Jersey and North Carolina.
U.S. permitting actions affecting offshore wind projects faced federal court blocks while settlement deals totaling about $2 billion were reported with TotalEnergies and Ocean Winds.
In the US, Interior Department reimbursement to TotalEnergies cancels New York and North Carolina offshore wind projects after national security objections and court rulings.
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced a $928 million payment to TotalEnergies to relinquish Carolina Long Bay and New York Bight offshore wind leases, exchanging for $1 billion in oil and methane investment.
Steven Cohen is cited as federal actions block offshore and onshore wind permitting, and editorial coverage links those moves to higher costs and disrupted investment.
The Pentagon is reportedly delaying reviews of 165 U.S. land-based wind projects, raising concerns that prolonged timelines will slow clean electricity deployment.
The American Clean Power Association says the Pentagon stopped routine processing of 165 U.S. onshore wind project reviews, totaling about 30 GW, starting August 2025.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a June 2026 lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior over offshore wind lease buyouts allegedly violating OCSLA procedures.
Commentary says Donald Trump-backed U.S. regulatory actions delay onshore and offshore wind projects and cite settlements with TotalEnergies and Ocean Winds.
The Trump administration announced a $1 billion payment to TotalEnergies to exit offshore wind leases off North Carolina and New York, redirecting investment to fossil fuel projects.
TotalEnergies offshore wind project Carolina Long Bay was canceled off North Carolina after federal reimbursement nearing $1 billion, shifting investment toward liquefied natural gas.
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced a $1 billion refund agreement with TotalEnergies on leases for offshore wind projects off North Carolina and New York, redirecting funds toward fossil fuel investments.
In the USA|Virginia||, House Republicans asked administration officials for reasons behind Trump offshore wind cancellations as federal court rulings kept a Dominion Energy project on track.
U.S. Interior Department announced a nearly $1 billion settlement with TotalEnergies on offshore wind leases off New York and North Carolina, reimbursing lease fees and redirecting funds to U.S. oil and gas.
In the 2020s, the U.S. Department of the Interior and TotalEnergies agreed on an approximately $1 billion refund for offshore wind lease exits while shifting investment toward LNG and oil and gas.
U.S. offshore wind projects progressed in New England as the Interior Department drafted near $1 billion wind buyout agreements tied to Texas natural gas investment.
The Trump administration is reported to reimburse TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion to cancel two U.S. East Coast offshore wind projects, reallocating investment toward LNG, oil, and gas power.
TotalEnergies agreed in the 2020s to cancel offshore wind leases off Southeastern North Carolina after U.S. Interior reimbursement tied to Texas and Gulf of Mexico oil and gas.
The Trump administration announced nearly $2 billion in offshore wind lease buyouts in the U.S. as congressional Democrats investigate TotalEnergies and related deals in 2026.
Doug Burgum announced at CERAWeek in Houston that the US and TotalEnergies ended US offshore wind projects and redirected funds toward fossil fuel production.
Interior Department announces a nearly $1 billion payment to TotalEnergies to cancel two East Coast wind farms as U.S. gasoline and diesel prices rise during Persian Gulf fuel market disruptions.
The Trump administration will pay TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion to cancel offshore wind projects targeting New Jersey and North Carolina, redirecting funds to Texas LNG investment.
The Trump administration will reimburse TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion in taxpayer funds to cancel offshore wind projects in New Jersey and North Carolina, shifting investment to Texas LNG amid energy price stability concerns.
The Trump administration plans a nearly $1 billion taxpayer payment to TotalEnergies to cancel two offshore wind projects while shifting reinvestment to Texas gas and LNG facilities.
TotalEnergies will relinquish U.S. offshore wind leases under a U.S. Department of the Interior reimbursement deal and redirect about $1 billion to natural gas investments amid policy changes.
Bill McKibben says Trump-era national-security reviews are delaying U.S. wind farm approvals, threatening financing and tax-credit deadlines.
New York City and Montana face worsening heat and drought while energy disruptions and infrastructure decisions affect resilience planning during the week.
U.S. Interior Department announced a 765 million dollar payment to Invenergy to cancel three offshore wind projects amid arguments about renewable deployment and energy security.
Wind farm developers in Illinois face federal permitting delays since last August, with FAA certificate processing and Department of Defense review blocking new projects nationwide.
Democrats investigate as Trump OKs almost $2 billion in taxpayer money to end offshore wind projects
Trump administration announced nearly $2 billion offshore wind lease buyouts in 2025, as House Democrats opened an investigation into conditional fossil fuel reinvestment.
In the United States, agencies and firms moved on offshore wind cancellations, $430 million hydropower payments, and carbon-credit time-stamped data amid permitting reform and utility shutoff rule changes.
Letitia James led Northeast attorneys general in a D.C. court suit challenging a 928 million dollar Judgment Fund settlement canceling TotalEnergies offshore wind leases in the New York area.
The U.S. Department of the Interior agreed to pay Invenergy $765 million in a Judgment Fund settlement to cancel offshore wind leases, following similar TotalEnergies and joint venture buyouts amid ongoing legal challenges.
Environmental groups filed a brief in Oregon on June 18, 2026 urging the Department of Defense to end a freeze on onshore wind national security reviews.
Letitia James led a lawsuit in USA northeast states to block a $928 million Interior Department deal with TotalEnergies canceling offshore wind projects for oil and gas investment.
US Interior Department will reimburse TotalEnergies about $1 billion while terminating offshore wind leases off North Carolina and New York for LNG and oil investments.
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In a Trump administration announcement, TotalEnergies agreed to stop new offshore wind projects and redirect about $1 billion from North Carolina and New York leases to Texas oil and gas and LNG.
The U.S. Interior Department proposed reimbursing TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion in offshore wind lease fees tied to New York and North Carolina in 2022, contingent on abandoning offshore wind and investing in fossil gas.
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced a nearly $1 billion deal to cancel TotalEnergies offshore wind leases off New York and North Carolina, redirecting investment toward fossil fuels.
Trump administration reportedly considers paying TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion to exit two offshore wind farms in New York and North Carolina, shifting investment toward Texas oil and LNG after court losses.