The Trump administration has ordered a halt to construction on the Revolution Wind offshore project near Rhode Island, despite the wind farm being approximately 80% complete with 45 out of 65 turbines already installed. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued the stop-work order on Friday, citing the need to review the project and “address concerns related to the protection of national security interests of the United States,” though it did not specify what those national security concerns are.

Project Overview and Status Update

Revolution Wind is a Danish wind farm developed by Orsted, located more than 15 miles south of the Rhode Island coast, 32 miles southeast of the Connecticut coast, and 12 miles southwest of Martha's Vineyard. Construction on the project began in 2023, and it was expected to be fully operational next year.

The project had cleared years of federal and state reviews before receiving the halt order. The wind farm was designed to be Rhode Island and Connecticut's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, with the capacity to power more than 350,000 homes. Rhode Island already hosts one offshore wind farm, the five-turbine Block Island Wind Farm. The densely populated states have minimal space available for land-based energy projects, making the offshore wind project crucial for meeting their climate goals.

Political Response and Opposition

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee criticized the stop-work order, stating that he and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont “will pursue every avenue to reverse the decision to halt work on Revolution Wind” in a post on X. Both governors are Democrats. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, also a Democrat, called the decision arbitrary in a statement: “This arbitrary decision defies all logic and reason. Revolution Wind's project was already well underway and employed hundreds of skilled tradesmen and women. This is a significant setback for a critical project in Connecticut, and I will fight it.”

President Donald Trump has made sweeping strides to prioritize fossil fuels and hinder renewable energy projects. Trump recently called wind and solar power “THE SCAM OF THE CENTURY!” in a social media post and vowed not to approve wind or “farmer destroying Solar” projects. “The days of stupidity are over in the USA!!!” he wrote on his Truth Social site this week.

Industry Impact and Reactions

Orsted says it is evaluating the financial impact of stopping construction and is considering legal proceedings. This marks the second significant offshore wind project the White House has halted. Work was previously stopped on Empire Wind, a New York offshore wind project, but construction was allowed to resume after New York Senator Chuck Schumer and Governor Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, intervened.

Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association, a group that supports offshore oil, gas, and wind, stated: “Today, the U.S. has only one fully operational large-scale offshore wind project producing power. That is not enough to meet America's rising energy needs. We need more energy of all types, including oil and gas, wind, and new and emerging technologies.”

However, Green Oceans, a nonprofit that opposes the offshore wind industry, applauded the BOEM's decision. “We are grateful that the Trump Administration and the federal government are taking meaningful action to preserve the fragile ocean environment off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts,” the nonprofit said in a statement.

Kit Kennedy, managing director for the power division at Natural Resources Defense Council, criticized the administration's approach: “This administration has it exactly backwards. It's trying to prop up clunky, polluting coal plants while doing all it can to halt the fastest growing energy sources of the future – solar and wind power. Unfortunately, every American is paying the price for these misguided decisions.”

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