The Trump administration on Monday has suspended leases for offshore wind projects currently under construction, marking a major setback for renewable energy in the US.
The Pentagon said turbine blade movement and reflective towers could interfere with radar interference called ‘clutter’.
“This clutter obscures legitimate moving targets and generates false signals near the wind projects,” the Department of the Interior explained in a press release.
This pause will allow stakeholders to “assess the possibility of mitigating the national security risks posed by these projects,” the statement read.
The five affected projects – Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Sunrise Wind, and Empire Wind – stretch along the Atlantic Coast from Virginia to Massachusetts, including New York State.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the move: “The prime duty of the United States government is to protect the American people.”
Behind the safety argument, the Trump administration’s longstanding reluctance toward wind energy resurfaces. On X, Burgum called the projects “expensive, unreliable, and heavily subsidized,” adding that “ONE natural gas pipeline supplies as much energy as these five projects combined.”
In January, one of U.S. President Donald Trump’s first acts in office was to pause new permits for offshore wind projects.
(vib)