"The Newest Hurdle For Offshore Wind: Trump’s EPA"

"The agency, led by Trump loyalist Lee Zeldin, just revoked one offshore wind farm’s permit. Now anti-wind groups are trying to leverage a Republican-run EPA."

"The Environmental Protection Agency revoked an essential Clean Air Act permit last month from Atlantic Shores, an offshore wind development slated to be built off the New Jersey coast. One of the main justifications was President Donald Trump’s January executive order calling for a halt and reexamination of the fledgling offshore wind industry.

The move suggests the agency, which has historically played a relatively small role in wind development, may be joining Trump’s assault on a renewable sector that many blue states are counting on to slash their planet-warming emissions and shore up grid reliability.

Lee Zeldin, one of President Trump’s first allies in Congress, now heads the EPA. Anti-wind groups have speculated in emails with Canary Media that Zeldin is sympathetic to their cause. One group has already submitted a ​“copycat” petition in hopes of convincing the agency to yank the same type of permit from Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts, a project expected to come online this year.

Permits are now the golden tickets of offshore wind.

Depending on the location and size of the project, an offshore wind farm needs to secure between eight and 10 federal permits before the first turbine can be built."

Clare Fieseler reports for Canary Media April 1, 2025.

 

Source: Canary Media, 04/02/2025