The Trump administration’s Oct. 9 filing stems from an ongoing lawsuit filed by the anti-wind group Green Oceans, which bills itself as a grassroots organization dedicated to preserving ocean health. In January 2024, the Rhode Island-based group challenged Interior’s final approvals of both Revolution Wind and Ørsted’s other U.S. offshore wind project, South Fork Wind, which came online in early 2024.
Green Oceans claims that the federal government “shortcut” regulatory procedures and violated environmental protection laws by approving the two projects. Late last week, Interior essentially said that it agrees that the key permits should be remanded and asked a judge to close the case against the agency. Revolution Wind received its federal and state permits after a more than nine-year-long process spanning multiple agencies.
The judge overseeing the request is Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who has previously sided with offshore wind developers that were forced to pause construction last year under the Trump administration’s stop-work orders.
“From its very first day, the Trump administration has waged a war on clean energy, and especially offshore wind,” said Pasha Feinberg, an offshore wind strategist at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
She said that, as utility bills soar and electricity demand climbs across the region, Revolution Wind is helping to keep electricity bills in check for residents of Connecticut and Rhode Island. “Why the administration would even consider revoking its permit makes no sense,” she added.
