Another day, another swipe at wind power: The Department of the Interior has launched an overhaul of all regulations pertaining to wind generation in U.S. waters. 

Whether this affects just the increasingly remote prospect of future wind power development or also the few projects under construction and in operation is not immediately clear from Interior’s Aug. 7 announcement. 

The agency’s public affairs office did not provide clarity when asked later in the day. The industry’s trade organization, Oceantic Network, said it still was trying to digest the announcement. 

“We’re taking a results-driven approach that prioritizes reliability, strengthens national security and upholds both scientific integrity and responsible environmental stewardship,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a news release. 

Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement will lead the review for potential update of Parts 285, 585 and 586 of Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations. 

President Donald Trump switched from campaign trail rhetoric against offshore wind to tangible action a few hours after his inauguration Jan. 20, ordering a halt to all new offshore wind leasing, permitting and loans, as well as directing an ominous-sounding review of existing leases for potential modification or termination.  

In the wake of that memorandum, federal regulatory work essential to advancing an offshore wind proposal slowed or halted. Some companies in the already-struggling sector paused or ended their efforts as well. 

More recently, Interior has swung into action to thwart placement of offshore wind turbines and their smaller onshore cousins, as well as solar panels. 

• • On July 15, Interior told its staff that all decisions, actions, consultations and anything else pertaining to wind and solar would need separate review and approval by two high-level subordinates and then Burgum himself.
  • On July 29, Burgum ordered a series of steps to halt “preferential treatment” of wind and solar; give greater voice in offshore wind regulatory review to stakeholder groups that have opposed offshore wind; and review the effect of wind turbines on migratory birds. 
  • On July 30, BOEM rescinded all designated wind energy areas on the Outer Continental Shelf — over 3.5 million acres on the East, West and Gulf coasts. 
  • On Aug. 1, Interior said it would consider the energy density of generation when assessing the benefits of a project proposed on federal land or seabed, to make the most efficient use of space — setting up sprawling wind and solar farms for an unwinnable comparison with compact fossil or nuclear plants. 
  • On Aug. 4, BOEM rescinded its offshore renewable energy leasing schedule. 
  • On Aug. 6, Interior moved to cancel the gigawatt-scale Lava Ridge Wind Project on federal land in Idaho, which Trump had paused in his Day One memorandum. 

The series of actions is redundant in some ways, but if one is stalled or rejected in a court proceeding, the others still may accomplish the Trump administration’s goals. 

There is one small offshore wind farm in operation in federal waters, and five larger ones are in some stage of construction. 

Between the financial assault launched by the reconciliation bill Trump signed into law July 4 and the policy changes his administration has been making since January, it is unclear if any other offshore projects will proceed to construction before the 2028 presidential election and how long the industry would take to recover lost momentum after 2028. 

The Trump administration has moved to block the one remaining New Jersey offshore wind project from starting construction and has indicated it will do the same with the only Maryland project.