The Trump Administration's assault on the offshore wind sector is unprecedented and certainly has adversely affected the US offshore wind market; however, the project developers and states have been universally successful in their court challenges of the Administration's attacks. Despite these court victories, projects that are not currently under construction are unlikely to advance significantly without measures, either from Congress or the Courts, to mitigate the attack on the offshore wind industry by the Executive Branch. The facts are clear — the market demand and states support continued and expanded offshore wind development, but some clarity and certainty in the regulatory process is needed before significant investment in this multi-billion-dollar sector will reengage.
The five East Coast offshore wind projects that recently won court victories over the Trump administration have restarted construction, but they make up just a small fraction of Atlantic states’ ambitious plans for offshore wind. And the dozens of projects that have yet to start construction have little chance of advancing while President Donald Trump remains in office.
