In a major escalation against offshore wind development, the Trump administration announced on Monday, 22 December, that it is suspending the federal licenses and authorizations for all offshore wind projects currently under construction. The decision affects five projects—many of them nearing completion—with a combined capacity of about 5.8 GW, sending shockwaves through the industry.
In a statement, the U.S. Department of the Interior said the pause is tied to “national security risks” identified by the Department of Defense in recently completed classified assessments. The administration said the suspension will give Interior, Defense, and other agencies time to work with developers and state partners to determine whether the alleged risks can be mitigated.
Industry group Oceantic Network quickly criticized the move, calling it another attempt to mask what it described as the president’s long-standing opposition to offshore wind.
Shortly after returning to office, President Trump issued an order halting new permits and directing a broad review of the sector. Since then, reports have indicated a coordinated government effort to slow or stop offshore wind construction, including legal challenges to project approvals and attempts to pause work on major developments such as Empire Wind in New York and Revolution Wind off Rhode Island.
The five projects named in the latest action are: Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Sunrise Wind, and Empire Wind 1. Some of these projects are close to completion, and Vineyard Wind has already begun generating power or is expected to ramp up deliveries by 2026.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the measure aims to address emerging national security threats, including rapidly evolving adversary technologies and vulnerabilities created by large offshore wind installations near populated areas along the East Coast.
Interior also argued that declassified government reports have long noted that rotating turbine blades and highly reflective towers can create radar “clutter,” potentially obscuring real moving targets and generating false returns near wind farms. Officials added that raising radar detection thresholds to reduce false positives could, in turn, increase the risk of missing genuine targets.
Oceantic Network countered that the offshore wind industry has worked for years with the Department of Defense and that each lease area is reviewed through DoD processes before construction begins—making the new claim, in its view, inconsistent with prior interagency approvals.
The announcement comes roughly two weeks after a U.S. district court ruled that an earlier presidential directive aimed at freezing the industry was unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act, calling it arbitrary and unjustified. The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by 17 states and Washington, D.C., challenging the executive action.
Federal courts have allowed some review processes for projects off New England and Maryland to continue, while other disputes have produced temporary injunctions—such as the one tied to Revolution Wind. A separate conflict involving Empire Wind was reportedly resolved through an agreement between the federal government and New York State.
Experts expect the new suspension to face swift legal challenges.
