Trump administration moves to revoke permit for Massachusetts offshore wind project

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration moved to block a Massachusetts offshore wind farm, filing a federal court motion Thursday to take back its approval of the SouthCoast Wind project’s construction and operations plan. The plan is the last major federal permit the project needs before turbines can be installed in federal waters about 23 miles south of Nantucket. SouthCoast Wind would deploy as many as 141 turbines to power roughly 840,000 homes in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Interior Department officials said the action is a procedural step to ensure the agency fully complies with the law and to reconsider the project in light of new information and analyses. In its court filing, Interior said the COP approval may not have fully complied with the law and may have failed to account for all the impacts that the SouthCoast Wind Project may cause. The agency asked a federal judge to allow reconsideration of the permit.

Ocean Winds, the project developer, said it intends to vigorously defend the permits in federal court. The company noted that the project would bring clean energy to thousands of homes and jobs in the region, while opponents have questioned the environmental and cost impacts of large offshore installations. The move comes as the administration reviews several other offshore wind efforts, part of a broader push to reevaluate federal support for wind projects that were broadly approved under the Biden administration.

The action follows Interior’s move to reconsider a separate Maryland Offshore Wind project, for which BOEM had approved construction and operations but which the department said needed a fresh look at its impact analysis. Maryland’s plan called for up to 114 turbines powering more than 718,000 homes. U.S. Wind has not begun construction on Maryland’s project, and it is facing challenges in court as part of ongoing litigation over the approvals.

BOEM had approved the SouthCoast COP on Jan. 17, 2025, three days before Trump’s second term began. The Interior Department said the COP approval may not have fully complied with the law and may have failed to account for all the project’s impacts, and it asked a federal judge to allow reconsideration of the decision. Ocean Winds said it would vigorously defend its permits in court. The case highlights a broader policy clash over offshore wind, with the administration signaling a shift away from aggressive development that characterized the prior years of federal wind siting and permitting.

Supporters, including labor and environmental groups, warn that rollback could threaten jobs and clean-energy progress. Jason Walsh, executive director of the BlueGreen Alliance, said Trump “is threatening good jobs while he pursues his senseless vendetta against offshore wind.” Critics note that, historically, offshore wind has drawn billions in private investment and created manufacturing and construction opportunities across coastal states.

Industry analysts say the current strategy could deter new investment and push developers to seek markets abroad, where regulatory regimes are perceived as more predictable. Kristoffer Svendsen, assistant dean for energy law at George Washington University, said offshore wind developers have viable options in Europe and Asia and may view the United States as a higher-risk market unless policy clarity improves. The administration’s actions contrast with Biden-era moves that approved multiple large projects intended to power millions of homes, illustrating a sharp shift in approach to offshore wind policy.

Jurisdictional questions and ongoing litigation will shape the timeline for any potential redeployment of the SouthCoast Wind project. Courts will weigh the Interior Department’s request for reconsideration against the project’s environmental analyses and statutory requirements, with the outcome uncertain and likely to influence future offshore wind development in the Northeast and beyond.