Trump administration sued over plan to halt New England wind project
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Wind turbine foundation components at the Revolution Wind construction hub in Providence in 2024. Photo: Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Ørsted led a lawsuit against the Trump administration Thursday over its decision last month to halt construction on the company's Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island's coast.
Why it matters: The move — which was followed by a separate lawsuit — sets off a closely watched legal brawl over whether the Trump administration can undo its predecessor's energy-related actions.
- The Biden administration in 2023 approved the project, which would provide power to 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut. But President Trump has a long-standing antipathy toward wind energy.
Driving the news: Revolution Wind — a joint venture between Ørsted and a consortium led by Skyborn Renewables, a platform company of BlackRock Inc.-owned Global Infrastructure Partners — requested an emergency order vacating the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's Aug. 22 stop-work order.
- It has said the project is 80% complete, with all offshore foundations installed along with 45 of 65 wind turbines.
- "While Revolution Wind will continue to seek to work collaboratively with the administration and other stakeholders toward a prompt resolution, it believes that BOEM lacked legal authority for the stop-work order and that the stop-work order's stated basis violated applicable law," Ørsted said in a statement.
- "The project is facing substantial harm from continuation of the stop-work order, and as a result, litigation is a necessary step."
The Interior Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zoom in: After Ørsted filed its lawsuit, the attorneys general of Rhode Island and Connecticut announced they would file a separate lawsuit in federal court in Rhode Island "to overturn the baseless stop-work order."
- The two states "seek to restore the rule of law, protect their energy and economic interests, and ensure that the federal government honors its commitments," according to the AGs' lawsuit.
Catch up fast: The oceans bureau issued an order saying Ørsted needed to halt ongoing work on Revolution Wind and that "you may not resume activities until BOEM informs you that BOEM has completed its necessary review."
- The bureau cited, among things, unspecified "concerns related to the protection of national security interests."
- Democrats, environmental groups, labor unions and others have assailed the move.
Zoom out: Trump also plans to pull existing permits for a planned wind project in Maryland, which is partially owned by Apollo Global Management and expected to power over 700,000 homes.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with details on the Rhode Island-Connecticut lawsuit.
