Five large-scale offshore wind farms under construction, including Revolution Wind off Connecticut and Rhode Island, have been put on sudden hold by the Trump administration.
The other wind farms include Vineyard Wind 1 off Massachusetts, Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind off New York, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind off Virginia.
The Department of the Interior paused lease agreements on all five wind projects on Monday, effectively immediately, citing national security risks when it comes to radar equipment used by marine vessels.
According to a press release from the Department of the Interior, “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’” and false targets.
While a radar’s threshold for false targets can be increased, it could come at the risk of missing real targets, the statement goes on to say.
Energy experts were quick to criticize the statement Monday.
“The current evidence suggests that these risks are quite modest and can easily be addressed,” said Kenneth Gillingham, professor of energy and environmental economics at Yale School of the Environment.
“You can change the radar settings so that false positives are less likely to happen. This is something that's done all the time in places where there happens to be a lot of steel,” he said, noting militaries that work around offshore wind turbines in Europe’s North Sea.
“This is the use of the executive branch in an arbitrary way that has never been used before,” Gillingham said.
This is the second time the Trump administration has stopped construction on Revolution Wind.
The Trump administration issued a work-stop order in August, “seeking to address concerns related to the protection of national security interests.”
In September, a judge ruled that work on Revolution Wind could continue, stating that the government failed to “make any factual findings or cite any reasons” why the project should be stopped.
Construction on Revolution Wind is approximately 85% complete with 52 of its 65 turbines installed, according to a representative from Gaffney Bennett PR, a public relations company representing the project.
Ørsted, one of the developers behind Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind, said they’ve been instructed to suspend all ongoing activities for the next 90 days, according to a statement, with the Department of the Interior reserving the right to extend the suspension.
“Revolution Wind LLC and Sunrise Wind LLC are complying with the respective orders and are taking appropriate steps to suspend related activities in a manner that prevents impacts on health, safety, and the environment,” according to the statement.
“Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind are fully permitted, having secured all required federal and state permits following comprehensive, years-long reviews,” the statement went on to say, including consultation to evaluate and address national security concerns.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said his office was working with other affected states to pursue legal options, calling the new pause “lawless” and “erratic.”
“We took the Trump administration to court on this issue. We won. We have a preliminary injunction in place. I see this as an open defiance of that court order and we will respond accordingly,” Tong said.
Gov. Ned Lamont said the move will drive up the cost of electricity in Connecticut and New England.
“At a time when my administration is working tirelessly to ensure Connecticut has a diverse energy supply and lower utility costs for families and businesses, the White House continues to be an obstacle,” Lamont said in a statement.
“This project is nearing completion and providing good-paying clean energy jobs. Businesses and residents deserve economic predictability, yet with the administration’s constant starts and stops they’re left with the opposite,” he said.
The project was expected to start generating power in January, according to Ørsted, providing enough energy to power more than 350,000 homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Áine Pennello is a Report for America corps member, covering the environment and climate change for Connecticut Public
