A $6 billion offshore wind initiative known as Revolution Wind, located off the coast of New England and approximately 80 percent complete, has been abruptly suspended by the Trump administration. The decision has halted construction on a 65-turbine facility capable of generating 700 megawatts of electricity—enough to power around 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut. The project, led by Danish energy firm Orsted, was nearing completion when federal authorities intervened, grounding operations and idling thousands of workers.
One affected worker, a painter with a decade of experience in offshore construction, shared that the job provided him with $75,000 annually—critical income for supporting his six children. With the pause, many such employees face financial uncertainty. The installation vessel, which costs over $260,000 per day to operate, now sits idle, adding to the mounting economic losses.
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee criticized the administration’s move, questioning the reliability of federal permits if long-approved projects can be halted at such an advanced stage. He expressed willingness to negotiate, even offering support for a natural gas pipeline in exchange for reinstating the wind project, though no formal proposal has been presented.
The administration’s justification centers on claims of national security concerns and criticism of the permitting process as ideologically rushed. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum stated that projects like Revolution Wind were fast-tracked without sufficient review, despite initial environmental assessments dating back to 2011 and project-specific approvals beginning in 2019. The Department of Defense had reviewed the site multiple times.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright dismissed wind and solar power as unreliable due to their intermittent nature. However, the electricity from Revolution Wind was contracted at 9.8 cents per kilowatt-hour—roughly half the regional average—making it a cost-effective energy source ready for deployment.
Interestingly, some local fishermen, including Trump supporters, have benefited economically from the wind farms. Gary Yerman, a fisherman who launched a business providing security services to the project, expressed confusion over the halt, noting that green energy investments have created valuable seasonal income. He also warned that the reversal could provide political ammunition to the president’s opponents.
Nationwide, about half a dozen similar offshore wind initiatives were expected to supply power for up to 11 million homes along the Eastern Seaboard by 2030, aligning with prior administration goals. The current administration’s resistance, rooted in longstanding opposition—such as Trump’s objections to turbines near his Scottish golf course—has cast doubt on the future of such renewable ventures.
With infrastructure already in place and affordable energy within reach, many in the region are questioning the rationale behind allowing these structures to remain inactive in the ocean.
— news from PBS
— News Original —
Economic fallout mounts as Trump halts near-finished wind power project
Amna Nawaz: n nNow to the latest on President Trump’s war on wind power. n nLast month, the administration abruptly halted construction on a nearly finished $6 billion 65-turbine wind farm off the coast of New England known as Revolution Wind. The holdup has put thousands out of work and raises big questions about not just the future of this project, but similar efforts across the Eastern Seaboard. n nScience correspondent Miles O’Brien has been coming at all. And he joins us now from Groton, Connecticut. n nSo, Miles, we can see this huge project behind you. I’m assuming that’s part of Revolution Wind. Why has it been such a big deal in this battle over wind power? n nMiles O’Brien: n nIt’s a big deal because it’s a big project, Amna, 700 megawatts, which equates to power for 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut. n nIt’s run by a company called Orsted out of Denmark. Over my shoulder, you will see a giant vessel, which is a wind turbine installation vessel. Vessels like these cost more than $260,000 a day. So the meter is running on a ship that should be out 20 miles from where I am doing its work to finish this project, which is at the 80 percent completion state. n nI saw this machine in action latter part of last year in December. It’s an extraordinary thing. That whole thing jacks up and the turbines are built and the blades are put on. The project is big and its sudden stop is a big loss for the economy here. n nI sat down with the governor of Rhode Island, Dan McKee. n nGov. Daniel McKee (D-RI): n nI don’t think the Trump administration really understands the consequences of this action, right, in the job loss, the energy loss, the loss of — in terms of our ability to compete. n nAnd then the other thing that it sends is the signal to businesses. What are permits worth if all of a sudden when you’re 80 percent in a project, regardless of what the project is, that somehow the federal government is not going to honor those permits? n nMiles O’Brien: n nSo, yes, the governor says he is willing to engage in a political deal. There have been other threats by the Trump administration to shut down wind projects. Empire Wind in New York is still going after a close call. Vineyard Wind to the north here in Massachusetts is still going. n nThe governor said he will entertain even a pipeline deal, a gas pipeline deal, if that’s what it would take. But so far there’s no deal on the table. He would like an audience with the president, Amna. n nAmna Nawaz: n nSo, Miles, 80 percent completed and then abruptly halted. What justification did the Trump administration give for why this project was stopped? n nMiles O’Brien: n nWell, the secretary of energy, Chris Wright, says wind and solar are worthless. Those are his words. He says they — because of the intermittency, they don’t work at nighttime if it’s solar or when the wind is not blowing when it comes to wind. n nAnd the secretary of interior, Doug Burgum, has said this project has not been vetted, that it was fast-tracked. But the initial permitting for this actually goes back to 2011. For Revolution Wind, specifically in 2019, the whole process began. The Defense Department has looked at this at least a couple of times. n nAnd yet they say there is a national security issue. Here’s Doug Burgum. n nDoug Burgum, U.S. Interior Secretary: n nYes, they were permitted. But they got moved through a very fast, ideologically driven permitting process. We have been asked as part of an executive order from the president to take a whole-of-government approach to review those. I think the fact that the subsidies have been either cut back or limited means that the — it’s likely that there will not be future offshore wind built in America. n nMiles O’Brien: n nSo, that initial environmental assessment goes way back. n nAnd the other issue that’s come up time and again is the cost. The cost of this electricity is locked in for the next 20 years at 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour. That is about half of what electricity costs by other sources in this part of the world. So it is cheaper power. It is ready to go online. n nMeanwhile, there’s a lot of workers that are feeling the hurt in this. I spoke yesterday to a painter who’s worked on these projects for a couple of years, 10 years of painting experience. He goes out for 12 weeks at a time, Amna, and works overtime offshore and makes $75,000. It’s enough to get him through the year. And he needs the money. He’s got six kids. n nI also earlier today went out with a fisherman, Gary Yerman. And a lot of fishermen have been against this. And Gary in particular is a strong Trump supporter. He has started a business which allows fishermen to provide security and other services to the wind farms. It’s been a real boom to them during their quiet times. Listen to Gary. n nGary Yerman, Fisherman: n nA lot of people think Trump’s crazy, so on and so forth. And there’s a lot of money that’s been spent to create this green energy, which I believe that we need more energy in this country. And I don’t understand why. n nSo, yes, I think that it just gives the opposition more fuel to go against Donald Trump. So I think, politically, it could go against him. n nMiles O’Brien: n nSo, the big picture here, Amna, is that there’s wind projects out there, about a half-a-dozen of them, including this one, which ultimately represent enough power to generate electricity for 11 million homes up and down the Eastern Seaboard by 2030. That was the Biden administration goal. n nBut the Trump administration simply cannot tolerate wind. The president is a longtime opponent of it from the time when a wind turbine or a series of them were installed off his golf course in Scotland. So the country and this region in particular is at an energy turning point. This is cheap electricity. In many cases, it’s built. And many people here are wondering what the logic is in leaving those pylons just standing there rusting in the ocean. n nAmna Nawaz: n nThat is our science correspondent, Miles O’Brien, reporting from Groton, Connecticut, tonight. n nMiles, thank you so much. n nMiles O’Brien: n nYou’re welcome.