Feds Move To Reconsider Permits For New England Wind

Another offshore wind project set for installation south of Nantucket looks set to have its permits revoked. In President Donald Trump’s latest salvo against the struggling industry, the federal government is reconsidering its approval of New England Wind’s construction and operation (COP) plan, which was authorized in the waning days of former President Joe Biden’s administration.

“Approval for the New England Wind Project ‘may have failed to account for all the impacts that New England Wind Projects 1 and 2 may cause,’” the United States Department of Justice wrote in a filing. “[The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)] is seeking a remand as it completes its reconsideration of its New England Wind COP approval. BOEM intends to issue a new COP decision at the completion of its review.”

Already delayed by the uncertainty created by the President’s past moves and hobbled by a previous executive order revoking grant funding for offshore wind-related infrastructure projects, New England Wind now appears to be on the precipice of being fully shut down.

BOEM’s filing comes in response to a lawsuit from local anti-offshore wind political action group ACK For Whales, which has long lobbied against offshore wind activity near Nantucket. The decision is a win for the group, which believes offshore wind is dangerous and environmentally unsafe.

But critics see Trump’s latest move as continuing an assault on renewable energy, favoring oil and gas over renewable energy projects despite the environmental costs of climate change. They also point to the economic ramifications of the federal government’s latest actions, which could take away jobs connected to offshore wind.

The Trump administration is reconsidering the permits for several offshore wind projects in the waters off the coast of New England, and has also moved to halt projects under construction and block future federal leases for offshore wind. In response, some developers have backed away from the industry entirely.

The decision to reconsider New England Wind’s approval mirrors Trump’s recent decision to do the same with SouthCoast Wind. A federal judge ruled last month that the reversal of SouthCoast Wind’s permits is allowed, despite SouthCoast’s contention that the move was unjustified.

“Agencies have inherent authority to reconsider past decisions and to revise or replace them,’ the Department of Justice wrote in a filing from the New England Wind case. “Remand is appropriate where an agency has identified a ‘substantial and legitimate’ concern about a prior decision.”

One of the only projects in the area that remains unaffected Trump’s flurry of executive actions is Vineyard Wind, which is partially operational and under constructioin.