Another offshore wind project is facing a potentially crippling threat from the Trump administration. 

In an Aug. 29 filing in federal court in Washington, D.C., the Department of the Interior said it intends to reconsider its approval of the construction and operations plan for SouthCoast Wind off the New England coast (1:25-cv-00906). 

Interior said the same thing in an Aug. 22 filing in federal court in Delaware about the US Wind projects off the Maryland coast (1:25-cv-00152). 

Both cases involve attempts by wind power opponents to overturn Interior’s approval of the projects. Interior argued in its motions that since it plans to reconsider its approval, the cases should be paused, as they might soon become moot. 

On Sept. 1, SouthCoast replied with a motion opposing Interior’s request: 

“Federal defendants’ failure to show good cause is further exemplified by their lack of diligence in moving this litigation forward, which is indicative of a pattern of unreasonable delays designed to further the political agenda of the current administration,” SouthCoast’s attorneys wrote. 

“This delay and the forthcoming request for remand are simply pretext for the unabashed desire of the president to eliminate all offshore wind projects from existence regardless of their impacts.” 

Eleven offshore wind projects have been approved in U.S. waters: 

• • South Fork Wind (completed);  
  • Ocean Wind (canceled by developer);  
  • Coastal Virginia, Empire, Revolution, Sunrise and Vineyard 1 (under construction); and  
  • Atlantic Shores, New England Wind, South Coast and US Wind (advanced development.) 

While many projects date back to the first Trump administration, all the records of decision came during the Biden administration. There were no rejections. 

Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced SouthCoast’s record of decision Dec. 20 and approved its construction and approval plan Jan. 17 — the last business day before President Donald Trump returned to office. 

On the campaign trail, Trump had vowed to halt construction of offshore wind generation, and he and his administration have taken extensive steps to accomplish that since he returned to office Jan. 20. 

Along with many actions to block future development, a few moves have targeted existing projects: 

• • EPA revoked an air permit for Atlantic Shores, blocking whatever chance it had of starting construction. 
  • Revolution, which is 80% complete, is sidelined by a recent stop-work order. 
  • Empire was the target of a stop-work order that lasted several weeks this spring. 
  • And now SouthCoast and US Wind’s MarWin and Momentum are facing potential reversals of their construction and operations permits. 

Numerous other projects at earlier stages of development are on indefinite pause, due either to hostile federal policies or spooked investors.