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$679 million in federal funding for 12 offshore wind projects cancelled, including $435m for California and $47m for Maryland
Transportation Department says money will be redirected to ports and maritime infrastructure
Trump administration also halts $4bn Revolution Wind farm off Rhode Island and Connecticut citing national security
Trump falsely blames renewables for surging energy costs, vows to block new wind and solar projects
Democrats, unions and governors warn cancellations threaten jobs, climate goals and household bills
The Trump administration has cancelled $679 million (£517 million) in federal funding for a dozen offshore wind projects across 11 states, intensifying its campaign against the US clean energy sector.
According to the news agency Associated Press, the Transportation Department announced on Friday that the funding, including $435 million earmarked for a floating wind farm in northern California and $47 million for an offshore project in Maryland has been rescinded. The Maryland scheme had already been targeted for cancellation by the Interior Department.
Transportation secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement that “wasteful wind projects” diverted resources that could be better used to “revitalise America’s maritime industry”. He added: “Thanks to President Trump, we are prioritising real infrastructure improvements over fantasy wind projects that cost much and offer little.” The department confirmed that the withdrawn funding would be redirected towards upgrading ports and other infrastructure.
The decision follows a string of actions by Donald Trump’s administration against renewable energy sources. The president has repeatedly pledged to restore US “energy dominance” through fossil fuels, backing coal, oil and gas despite their role in producing greenhouse gases that drive climate change.
In recent weeks, the administration has halted or cancelled multiple projects approved under former President Joe Biden, the AP report added. Last week, the Energy Department withdrew a $716 million loan guarantee to upgrade transmission infrastructure for a threatened offshore wind project in New Jersey. Construction of Revolution Wind, a $4 billion offshore development off Rhode Island and Connecticut, was also abruptly stopped, with the Interior Department citing unspecified national security concerns.
The Revolution Wind project, developed by Danish energy company Orsted, was close to completion and expected to power more than 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut. Orsted said it is assessing the financial impact and considering legal action.
Democratic officials in New England warned that cancelling the project could derail state climate goals and push up electricity prices. Rhode Island governor Dan McKee called the move “an attack on our jobs … our energy … [and] our families and their ability to pay the bills.” Patrick Crowley, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, pledged that unions would resist: “We’re going to fight [Trump] every step of the way, no matter how long it takes.”
Separately, the administration earlier this month cancelled a major wind farm in Idaho, a project Biden approved late in his term but which faced opposition due to its proximity to a historic site where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during the second world war.
Trump has long expressed disdain for wind power, describing turbines as unsightly and expensive, and has promised not to approve further wind or solar projects. At a cabinet meeting last week, he said: “We’re not allowing any windmills to go up unless there’s a legal situation where somebody committed to it a long time ago.”