January 21, 2025 — With the growth of offshore wind farms there are many questions surrounding their impact. In the second of two stories about what researchers are finding, science correspondent Miles O’Brien takes us to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where local officials are trying to strike a balance between greener, renewable energy and a potential impact on the critical fishing industry in that region.
RODA’s Statement in Response to Executive Order on Temporary Withdrawal of Offshore Wind Leasing and Permitting
January 21, 2025 — The following was released by the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance:
Today, we extend gratitude to President Trump for his decision to temporarily withdraw all areas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from consideration for new or renewed wind energy leasing. This important move recognizes the vital role our communities, industries, and ecosystems play in the broader national interest. The decision is a much-needed pause that allows us to reassess the future of offshore wind development and its potential impacts on our coastal environments and local economies.
We are excited to collaborate with the new administration as they embark on the upcoming review of federal leasing and permitting practices for offshore wind projects. This is an opportunity to ensure that all voices—especially those of the fishing industry, local businesses, and environmental stakeholders—are heard as we move forward. RODA, and our members, stand willing and committed to work with government leaders as they undertake this critical review.
A particular cause for celebration today is the reprieve granted to regions that have yet to be subject to offshore wind leases. This gives these areas crucial time to engage in meaningful dialogue about the future of offshore wind and its compatibility with local priorities and concerns.
Additionally, we applaud the decision to halt the authorization of any further activities that could lead to navigational safety, transportation, national security, commercial and marine mammal protection interests until we fully understand the potential risks associated with offshore wind projects. Protecting marine life, particularly vulnerable species like whales, must remain a top priority as we explore renewable energy solutions.
RODA is committed to working collaboratively with the Trump Administration to ensure that any future offshore wind development is done in a manner that protects both the environment and the communities who call these coastal areas home.
Biden Administration approves SouthCoast Wind construction plan
January 21, 2025 — On the last business day of the Biden administration, a federal agency announced its approval of the construction and operations plan for SouthCoast Wind, a big offshore wind project that Massachusetts is counting on.
“We are proud to announce BOEM’s final approval of the SouthCoast Wind project, the nation’s eleventh commercial-scale offshore wind energy project, which will power more than 840,000 homes,” U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein said in a Friday statement.
“We are proud to announce BOEM’s final approval of the SouthCoast Wind project, the nation’s eleventh commercial-scale offshore wind energy project, which will power more than 840,000 homes,” U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein said in a Friday statement.
MASSACHUSETTS: Dozens protest wind farms and impact on whales in New Bedford
January 21, 2025 — Dozens of protesters gathered in New Bedford Saturday, demanding an end to offshore wind projects immediately.
The protest came one day after final federal approval for the Southcoast Wind Project, 26 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.
Protesters said they were outraged over potential impacts on the environment, coastal neighborhoods, and the commercial fishing industry.
Trump bars offshore wind leases in opening salvo against his energy nemesis
January 21, 2025 — President Donald Trump ordered a halt to new leases and permits for wind projects on his first day back at the White House.
The order stops short of freezing construction of offshore projects along the East Coast, as sought by wind opponents and feared by the industry’s supporters. But it does direct the Interior secretary to review existing wind permits.
The moves amounted to an extraordinary attack on America’s largest renewable energy industry, both on land and at sea.
Feds lift Vineyard Wind suspension order; dozens of faulty blades to be removed
January 21, 2025 — Vineyard Wind’s suspension on installing the rest of its wind farm southwest of Nantucket was lifted by the federal government Friday.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement lifted the suspension after agreeing to an addendum of Vineyard Wind’s construction and operations plan Friday, originally submitted last month, “based on revisions Vineyard Wind made to its construction and operations plan,” a BSEE spokesperson said Sunday.
President Trump Orders Temporary Withdrawal of Offshore Areas from Wind Leasing
January 20, 2025 (Saving Seafood) — WASHINGTON — In an order signed in the Oval Office this evening, President Donald J. Trump issued a memorandum to the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Energy, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency directing the temporary withdrawal of all areas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from wind energy leasing and calling for a comprehensive review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices.
The memorandum, “Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects”, is effective tomorrow, January 21, 2025, and includes the following directives:
- Temporary Withdrawal of Areas
All areas of the OCS are withdrawn from wind energy leasing under the authority of Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. This withdrawal applies to new or renewed wind energy leases and remains in effect until the memorandum is revoked. Existing leases are not immediately affected but will be reviewed for potential amendment or termination. - Review of Federal Leasing and Permitting Practices
Federal agencies are directed to halt the issuance of new or renewed approvals, permits, leases, loans, or rights-of-way for wind projects. A comprehensive review will be conducted to assess the environmental, economic, and legal impacts of wind energy projects, including effects on wildlife, electricity generation costs, and subsidies. - Moratorium on Lava Ridge Wind Project Activities
The Secretary of the Interior is instructed to impose a temporary moratorium on all activities related to the Lava Ridge Wind Project. The memorandum highlights alleged legal deficiencies in the Record of Decision issued by the Bureau of Land Management in December 2024 and calls for a new analysis of the project’s impacts. - Assessment of Defunct Windmills
Agencies are tasked with evaluating the environmental and economic effects of defunct or idle windmills and recommending measures for their removal. - Litigation Considerations
The Attorney General is authorized to notify courts of the memorandum and request stays or delays in litigation related to federal wind leasing and permitting, as necessary.
The memorandum will be published in the Federal Register.
NEW JERSEY: South Jersey congressman working with Trump to halt offshore wind
January 17, 2025 — New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew, a Republican from Cape May County, said he’s working with President-elect Donald Trump on an executive order that “would halt offshore wind on the East Coast.”
“These offshore wind projects should have never been approved in the first place,” Van Drew said in a statement, referring to President Joe Biden’s effort to expand renewable energy as a “reckless green agenda that put politics over people.”
He says the executive order is just the first step in reversing course on the state’s offshore wind development.
“We will fight tooth and nail to prevent this offshore wind catastrophe from wreaking havoc on the hardworking people who call our coastal towns home,” Van Drew said.
MASSACHUSETTS: Can a $10M wind-energy center in New Bedford withstand opposition from locals and Trump?
January 17, 2025 — A state agency will continue efforts to develop a more than $10 million offshore-wind-based, ocean-energy innovation center in New Bedford in 2025, despite national opposition to offshore wind and local opposition to a proposed site.
Nationally, President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to halt offshore wind development.
Locally, an attorney has compiled 236 signatures in opposition to the center’s “preferred” site, a 17,000-square-foot parking lot abutting the Bourne Counting House off McArthur Drive on Homer’s Wharf, leased through the Port Authority. The center would include the Bourne Counting House building, which would be renovated.
Trump tasks congressman with writing executive order he could issue to halt offshore wind
January 17, 2025 — President-elect Donald Trump tasked a New Jersey congressman and vocal critic of offshore wind with writing an executive order he could issue to halt wind energy projects.
Offshore wind is a major part of transitioning to an electric grid powered entirely by sources that don’t emit carbon dioxide when generating electricity. The power sector is responsible for nearly a third of the nation’s planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to end the offshore wind industry as soon as he returned to the White House. He wants to boost production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, which cause climate change, in order for the U.S. to have the lowest-cost energy and electricity of any nation in the world, he says.
Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew said he spoke with Trump by phone about a month ago and urged him to act on his campaign promise.
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