The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Friday that it will be ending or withdrawing $679 million in funding allocated for offshore wind projects.
The funds were designated for 12 projects, which the department described as “doomed.” In a press release, the department mentioned that this move would ensure federal dollars are dedicated to “restoring America’s maritime dominance and preventing waste.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy stated, “Wasteful wind projects are diverting resources away from revitalizing America’s maritime industry. Under President Trump, we are focusing on tangible infrastructure improvements instead of costly and ineffective wind projects.”
The department conveyed that the Trump administration aims to concentrate on rebuilding America’s shipbuilding capability, using more dependable and traditional energy sources, and potentially addressing essential port updates and other core infrastructure requirements.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration paused the construction of an offshore wind project near Rhode Island named Revolution Wind, according to The Associated Press, which reported that the project was nearly finished. A letter released by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on August 22 cited that the project was halted to “address concerns related to protecting the national security interests of the United States.”
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee reacted to the project’s suspension on social media, stating that he and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont would explore “every avenue to reverse the decision.”
“This action puts hundreds of union jobs at risk by halting a project that is 80% complete – just steps away from powering more than 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut,” McKee wrote. “At a time when we should be moving forward with solutions for energy, jobs, and affordability, this administration is choosing delay and disruption.
Just days before the halt on Revolution Wind was announced, President Trump claimed, “any state that has built and relied on windmills and solar for power are seeing record-breaking increases in electricity and energy costs. The scam of the century.”
According to a survey released by the Pew Research Center in June, American support for renewable energy has declined. The survey found that “68% of Americans favor more wind power, compared with 83% in 2020 at the end of the first Trump administration.” As for wind, “77% of Americans favor more solar power, down from nine-in-ten in 2020.”
