18 States Sued Trump for Decimating the Offshore Wind Industry

A coalition of Democratic attorneys general asked for an injunction to stop Trump’s war on offshore wind development after New York was forced to delay construction on a large Staten Island terminal and the massive Empire wind project.

Offshore wind turbine
David Goldman/AP

A coalition of 18 states sued the Trump administration on Monday to try to permanently block Trump’s complete halt on all offshore wind energy development.

The Democratic attorneys general, led by Massachusetts and New York, argued in a roughly 100-page complaint that the president’s attacks on the industry violated a litany of federal laws and are already causing significant economic harm across the country.

The Trump administration halted all permitting for new offshore wind projects shortly after taking office, a move that hobbled the already-struggling industry. The Interior Department then ordered in mid-April that all work cease on one of the few projects already under construction: Empire Wind, a large farm off the coast of New York that was scheduled to deliver much-needed electricity to New York City beginning in 2026.