Accountability Desk

The record, with the receipts.

After losing in court, the administration froze five offshore wind farms, and lost again

Two weeks after a judge struck down Trump's wind order, Interior halted five projects under construction, citing unspecified security risks. Courts let all five resume.

Dec. 22, 2025  |  Summary by Accountability Desk, based on the reporting credited below

In early December 2025, a federal judge in Massachusetts struck down Trump's executive order blocking wind-energy leasing as arbitrary and capricious. Two weeks later, the Interior Department paused leases for five large offshore wind projects already under construction off Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Virginia, citing national security risks identified by the Pentagon that it did not describe.

The Defense Department had previously reviewed at least one of the projects, Revolution Wind, and found no adverse effect on its missions. Developers and states sued, and judges allowed all five projects to resume; one ruled the government had not shown an imminent national security risk. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind began delivering power in March 2026.

The receipts

Original reporting. Credit belongs to these outlets and authors; read the full stories at the source.

  1. Associated Press (via PBS) by Matthew Daly

    Trump administration pauses 5 offshore wind projects on the East Coast, citing security concerns
  2. Associated Press (via Yahoo News) byline on original

    Yet another judge rejects Trump effort to block offshore wind, saying NY project can resume
  3. Office of Rep. Joe Courtney byline on original

    Statement on the new pause on offshore wind projects
  4. Yahoo News (as shared in our notes) byline on original

    Trump administration pauses 5 offshore wind projects

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