Energy & Environment — Trump suspends offshore wind leases

View Online Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story  Interior again goes after offshore wind The Trump administration has suspended the authority of five major offshore wind farms to keep building in federal waters, yet another escalation of the administration's attacks on the wind energy industry. © AP Photo Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a post on the social platform X that five leases, all on the East Coast, were being paused due to "national security concerns."    "Due to national security concerns identified by @DeptofWar, @Interior is PAUSING leases for 5 expensive, unreliable, heavily subsidized offshore wind farms!" Burgum wrote.    A press release from the Interior Department particularly cited potential radar interference known as "clutter" from wind turbines. The department said that blade movement "obscures legitimate moving targets and generates false targets in the vicinity of the wind projects."   The five offshore wind projects whose leases were halted are: Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW), Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind. The projects are located near New England, Virginia and New York.   Together, these projects would be expected to generate enough electricity to power up to about 2.5 million homes, according to their project websites.   Their pause comes as the administration has repeatedly sought to hamper renewable energy — especially offshore wind.   Read more at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, I'm Rachel Frazin  — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.   Programming note: This will be our last edition of this newsletter this year. Happy holidays and see you in 2026! Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: Senate Democrats cut off permitting talks after Trump's wind farm pause Senate Democrats say they will walk away from talks about legislation to speed up energy and infrastructure construction unless the Trump administration reverses its latest attack on wind power.  Full Story US seizes second oil tanker off Venezuela's coast as Trump ups pressure on Maduro U.S. personnel seized a second oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday as President Trump ratchets up the pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.   Full Story Trump denies disaster aid to Colorado for wildfires, flooding President Trump has denied disaster aid to the state of Colorado in the wake of wildfires and flooding.  Full Story What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: Interior energy boss exits, unexpectedly (E&E News) San Francisco power outage continues for thousands still in the dark (USA Today) What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Why 'very large' tax refunds are coming in 2026, according to officials Thanks to a number of changes to the tax code under the One Big Beautiful Bill, Trump administration officials are projecting Americans will enjoy the largest tax refund ever in 2026. Read more Democrats renew government shutdown threat as tensions flare with Trump Senate Democrats are raising the threat of another government shutdown in late January as tensions with President Trump escalate over a series of recent maneuvers by the White House that Democrats say need a forceful response from Capitol Hill. Read more   You're all caught up. See you next year!  Check out The Hill's Energy & Environment page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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