Lawyers for the Trump administration asked a federal court in Maryland to cancel federal permits for the US Wind project off Ocean City, Md., asserting the Biden administration overstepped legal authority in 2024 with allowing the developers’ plan to move forward.
The Maryland Offshore Wind project would build 114 turbines with a total nameplate rating of 8.5 gigawatts, enough to power up to 700,000 homes in 2028, according to project backers.
The U.S. Department of Interior made the motion to have federal permits rescinded, in a lawsuit brought by the Ocean City mayor and council. City officials have opposed offshore wind development for years, contending it threatens the local beach tourism and fishing industries.
"We intend to vigorously defend those permits in federal court, and we are confident that the court will uphold their validity and prevent any adverse action against them," US Wind said in a statement after the Friday court proceedings.
It’s the latest in a concerted campaign by administration officials and agencies to shut down those U.S. offshore wind projects approved under the previous administration. At a Sept. 11 energy conference in Italy, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum bluntly told the audience, “under this administration, there is not a future for offshore wind because it is too expensive and not reliable enough.”
U.S. wind power advocates argue it is the Trump administration operating outside the law, to the detriment of American energy production, workers and maritime industry.
“The unlawful actions by the Trump administration against fully permitted offshore wind projects up and down the East Coast represent one of the largest, economically devastating assaults on U.S. workers, businesses, and energy in decades,” said Liz Burdock, CEO of the industry nonprofit group Oceantic Network. “Revoking a permit on an approved project after years of thorough agency review will raise electricity prices for families, jeopardize private investment, delay economic growth, and weaken our power grid.”
Earlier Maryland Gov. Wes Moore raised alarm about the Trump administration’s intentions.
“Canceling a project set to bring in $1 billion in investment, create thousands of good-paying jobs in manufacturing, and generate more Maryland-made electrical supply is utterly shortsighted. The President’s actions will directly lead to utility-rate hikes by taking off most promising ways for Maryland to meet its looming energy generation challenges.”
