US asks court to let it reconsider permit for New England Wind offshore project
In short
The Trump administration has asked a federal judge to send back the 2024 construction and operations plan approval for the New England Wind project off Massachusetts so Interior can reconsider it. The Justice Department said in a filing Tuesday that the plan was approved despite major adverse impacts. It is the fourth offshore wind project the administration has targeted in recent months.
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The Trump administration is asking a federal judge to let it reconsider a major federal permit for a large offshore wind farm, the New England Wind project off Massachusetts. The Interior Department wants to reconsider its own approval of the project's construction and operations plan, which was approved in 2024 during the Biden administration. According to AP text carried by The Seattle Times and The Boston Globe, it is the fourth project the Republican leadership has targeted in recent months. [ 3 , 4 ]
The Justice Department said in a filing Tuesday that the court should remand the permit, sending it back to Interior, because the plan was approved despite major adverse impacts. The developer, Avangrid, declined to comment Wednesday. Construction has not begun. Bloomberg described Avangrid as a subsidiary of Iberdrola SA and said the request again stokes uncertainty about the project's future. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, warned that the administration now risks derailing a legislative effort to speed up permitting reviews for new energy and infrastructure projects. The Senate reached a bipartisan deal in September on a permitting bill, which has not yet been voted on. "This is how you blow up a permitting deal," he said in a statement Wednesday. [ 3 , 4 ]
The Interior Department also wants to reconsider its prior approval of the construction and operations plan for Revolution Wind, a wind farm for Rhode Island and Connecticut that has finished construction, and for the Maryland Offshore Wind Project, which has not yet begun construction. In August, a judge granted the administration's request to reconsider the permit for the stalled New Jersey project Atlantic Shores. The Seattle Times text said that project had been halted soon after Trump returned to office because co-owner Shell walked away from it. [ 3 , 4 ]
The Trump administration is using executive orders, agency actions and the courts to try to stop the development of offshore wind, which President Donald Trump has attacked as "ugly" and unreliable compared to fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. Officials started buying back offshore wind leases after federal judges blocked its efforts to stop construction on five major East Coast projects. [ 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse warned that the move risks derailing a bipartisan Senate permitting bill that has not yet been voted on. Bloomberg said the request adds to uncertainty about the future of the wind farm, which is being developed by Avangrid.
Key facts
- The Interior Department wants to reconsider its own approval of the construction and operations plan for the New England Wind project off Massachusetts. [ 3 , 4 ]
- The plan was approved in 2024 during the Biden administration. [ 3 , 4 ]
- The Justice Department said in a filing Tuesday that the court should remand the permit to Interior because the plan was approved despite major adverse impacts. [ 3 , 4 ]
- It is the fourth project the administration has targeted in recent months. [ 3 , 4 ]
- The developer, Avangrid, declined to comment Wednesday, and construction has not begun. [ 4 ]
- Bloomberg described Avangrid as a subsidiary of Iberdrola SA. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the court will grant the request to remand the permit. The documents report the request only; none reports a ruling.
- Whether the Senate permitting bill will be affected. Whitehouse warned of the risk; the documents say the bill has not yet been voted on.
- Avangrid's position on the request. Avangrid declined to comment, according to one outlet.
- The Justice Department argued in a filing that the plan was approved despite major adverse impacts. Reported by a single source so far
- The Interior Department also wants to reconsider its prior approvals for Revolution Wind and the Maryland Offshore Wind Project. Reported by a single source so far
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said in a statement Wednesday, "This is how you blow up a permitting deal." Reported by a single source so far