Trump stops working on the New England offshore wind project, which is almost done

The Trump administration stopped construction in an almost complete offshore wind project near Rhode Island as the White House continues to attack our offshore wind industry that scientists say is crucial to an emergency fight against climate change.

Danish wind farm developer Orsted said the Revolutionary Wind project is about 80%, with 45 of 65 turbines installed.

Despite this progress — and the fact that the project has cleared years of federal and state reviews, the Marine Energy Administration issued the order Friday saying the federal government needs to review the project and “resolve issues related to protecting U.S. national security interests.”

It does not specify what national security issues are.

President Donald Trump has made great strides to prioritize fossil fuels and hinder renewable energy projects. Trump recently called wind and solar a “scam of the century!” In social media posts, he vowed not to approve wind or “farmers destroy solar” projects. “Silly days are over!!!” he wrote on his truth social networking site this week.

Scientists around the world agree that countries need to quickly adopt renewable energy to avoid the worst effects of climate change, including extreme heat and drought. Larger, more intense wildfires and supercharged hurricanes, typhoons and heavy rainstorms cause catastrophic flooding.

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee criticized the stop order and said he and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont “will pursue every pathway to reverse the decision to revolutionize the revolutionary winds.” Both governors are Democrats.

The construction of the revolutionary style began in 2023, and the project is expected to be fully operational next year. Orsted said it is evaluating the financial impact of the cessation of construction and is considering legal proceedings.

Revolution Wind is located more than 15 miles (24 km) south of the Rhode Island coast, 32 miles (51 km) southeast of the Connecticut coast and 12 miles (19 km) southwest of the Martha Vineyard. Rhode Island is already home to an offshore wind farm, a five-turbo street island wind farm.

Revolutionary Wind is expected to be the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in Rhode Island and Connecticut, able to power more than 350,000 households. Popular states have minimal space for land-energy projects, which is why offshore wind projects are crucial for the country to meet its climate goals.

“The revolutionary project has gone well, employing hundreds of skilled businessmen and women. This is a major setback for the key projects in Connecticut and I will fight it,” Democrats said in a statement.

Wind power is the largest source of renewable energy in the United States, providing 10% of the nation’s electricity generation.

“Today, the United States has only one fully operational large offshore wind generation capacity. This is not enough to meet the rising energy demand in the United States. We need more types of energy, including oil and gas, wind, new and emerging technologies,” said Erik Milito, president of the National Marine Industry Association, supporting Ocksoil ockhore oil, gas and wind holes.

Green Ocean, a nonprofit that opposes the offshore wind industry, praised Boem’s decision. “We thank the Trump administration and the federal government for taking meaningful action to protect the fragile marine environment along Rhode Island and the coastal areas of Massachusetts,” the nonprofit said in a statement.

This is the second major offshore wind project that the White House has stopped. The New York offshore wind project Empire Wind stopped working, but allowed construction to resume after both Democrats intervened by Senator Chuck Schumer and Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“This administration is completely backing back. It is working to support clumsy coal-fired power plants while also preventing the fastest growing energy sources in the future – solar and wind power generation,” Kit Kennedy, managing director of the Electricity Department of the National Defense Commission of Natural Resources, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, every American is paying for these misleading decisions.”

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Reporter Jennifer McDermott contributed to Washington from Providence, Rhode Island and Matthew Daly.

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