Page 19: of Marine News Magazine (March 2025)

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Feature

Offshore Wind n the weeks preceding his late subject to review with the possibility of bid, submitted by predecessor com-

January inauguration, then terminating or amending those leases.” pany May? ower Wind, had occurred

President-elect Donald Trump The approvals process is a multi- six years earlier-in late 2018. Initial re-

I referred to wind turbines (both year affair with twists and turns quests for expressions of interest from onshore and offshore) as “garbage in around environmental, site assess- potential bidders in the lease sale date a ? eld” and described electric power ment and construction plans. Con- back another eight years- to 2010, produced through offshore wind as sider the lengthy times involved in of 14 years prior to the ? nal go-ahead! “…the most expensive energy ever…” SouthCoast wind (which was given an All going well, starting in 2027, 2.4

In the same brie? ng, Trump said “OK to proceed” in the waning days GW of electricity could be produced “We’re going to try to have a policy of the Biden administration, at end from this project in waters south of where no windmills are being built.” 2024) The project’s winning lease sale Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

In those waning days of the Biden ad- ministration, reports were emerging that New Jersey congressional Repre- sentative Jeff van Drew (Republican in U.S. House, representing a district including parts of the Jersey Shore) was drafting language for an “Execu- tive Order”, subsequently signed by

President Trump, halting U.S. Depart- ment of the Interior (DOI) activity on offshore wind for at least six months, while a detailed study of its impacts would take place. New leasing of tracts on the Outer Continental Shelf (which precedes any development on projects) would be stopped completely.

Political appointments drive the leadership of Bureau of Offshore En- ergy Management (BOEM, part of

DOI)- which oversees the offshore leasing process. Indeed, the DOI (un- der Trump appointee Doug Burgum) can certainly stymie BOEM’s labyrin- thine approval process for the com- ponents of projects previously given the green light. The law ? rm Holland & Knight (H and K), in a Feb 2025 advisory, said that: “President Donald

Trump’s Wind Energy executive order (EO) inde? nitely withdraws all areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from any new or renewed wind energy leasing activity. Though existing off- shore wind leases remain valid, they are

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