December 23, 2025 — The Trump administration announced a pause on five offshore wind farms, including one off the coasts of New Jersey and New York, citing national security concerns.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced on Dec. 22 that the pause would affect New York’s Empire Wind 1 power project, which will be about 19 miles offshore of Long Branch once complete. The pause also affects Vineyard Wind 1 off Massachusetts, Revolution Wind off Rhode Island and Connecticut, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind and Sunrise Wind southeast of Long Island.
The rotation of wind turbines and their reflective towers create radar interference called “clutter,” according to the Department of Interior. That interference obscures the radar detection of moving objects and creates the appearance of false objects near the wind farms, according to the department.
The pause will give wind farm developers and state and federal authorities time to address the projects’ risks to national security, Burgum said in a news release.