Following the Trump administration’s abrupt cancelation of the Revolution Wind project at the end of August, Revolution Wind LLC, a joint venture between Ørsted and Skyborn Renewables, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to prevent enforcement of the stop work order. Revolution Wind contends that the order was motivated by political partisanship and that the administration’s claimed “national security” justification was arbitrary and capricious.
On a parallel track, Connecticut and Rhode Island brought a similar action in Rhode Island District Court, claiming that the cancellation order was baseless and harmed ratepayers in both states, which were to have been the beneficiaries of the 704 MW of anticipated generation from the project. Revolution Wind had completed all state and federal reviews, including the Department of Defense, and was approximately 80% completed at the time of the order.
The Trump administration has also announced its intention to revoke federal approvals for New England Wind, which is not yet under construction, and other projects off the coast of Maryland. Revocation of these permits would complete the targeting of active and pending offshore projects off the coasts of Maryland, Massachusetts, New York (with the exception of Empire Wind, which was able to reverse a revocation order), New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, a 60% completed offshore project that has maintained the support of Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, has thus far been allowed to proceed.