Rhode Island and Connecticut will sue the Trump administration over its decision to halt the huge Revolution Wind electricity project off the north-east coast of the US, the two announced on Thursday morning.
“This kind of erratic and reckless governing is blatantly illegal, and we’re suing to stop it,” said Connecticut attorney general, William Tong, in a statement.
“If Trump’s plan is to raise families’ energy prices, cut American jobs, turbo charge climate change, and accelerate the Great Climate Insurance Crisis, he’s knocking it out of the park with his all-out attack on American offshore wind,” said Sheldon Whitehouse, the Rhode Island senator and ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works committee.
“Wind power is one of the fastest, safest, cheapest ways to meet rising electricity demand and cut energy prices. The only winners here are the corrupt fossil fuel donors who bankrolled Trump’s campaign.”
Located about 15 miles south of the Rhode Island coast and 32 miles south-east of the Connecticut coast, the Revolution Wind power generating project is a joint venture between Danish energy company Ørsted and German wind developer Skyborn Renewables. The project has obtained all necessary federal and state permits, and construction is 80% complete.
Earlier on Thursday morning, the companies filed a separate lawsuit in the US district court for the District of Columbia, challenging the stop-work order. The companies will also request a preliminary injunction.
“The stop-work order was issued without statutory authority, lacks any evidentiary basis, and is unlawful,” the court filing said.
The lawsuits come as the Trump administration has rolled out an all-out assault on offshore wind energy, instructing several agencies to draft plans to thwart the sector. That includes some agencies that are not typically involved in wind power, such as the health and human services department and defense department, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
If it comes online, the Revolution Wind project is expected to deliver enough electricity to the New England grid to power 350,000 homes, supplying 2.5% of the region’s electricity supply beginning in 2026.
The project is also expected to slash Rhode Island’s planet-warming pollution by 11m metric tons, helping the state achieve its stated goal of zeroing out emissions by 2050.
“With Revolution Wind, we have an opportunity to create good-paying jobs for Rhode Islanders, enhance energy reliability, and ensure energy cost savings while protecting our environment,” Rhode Island’s attorney general, Peter F Neronha, said in a statement.
Patrick Crowley, the president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, said Revolution Wind had employed more than 1,000 union members, including carpenters, electricians, iron workers and others. The stop-work order, he said, had left members of his federation “furious”.
Many of those members voted for Trump, he said.
“They’re very angry with the president because, from their point of view, they didn’t vote for this,” he said.
“There is no reason for this project to have been shut down other than animosity towards a blue state like Rhode Island.”
Trump’s Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) issued the stop-work order for the project on 22 August. They did not identify any legal violations in doing so, the attorney generals said. violation of law or imminent threat to safety. Rather, they said, the order “abstractly” cites unspecified “concerns”.
An interior department spokesperson said the agency would not comment on the litigation.
Revolution Wind, a 50/50 joint venture between the wind developer Ørsted and Skyborn Renewables, said it had already spent about $5bn on the project, and that it would incur costs of another $1bn if the stop-work order remains in place.
Ørsted and Skyborn warned of potential delays, citing limited availability of specialized vessels required for offshore wind construction.
If the vessels depart due to the stoppage, the project would probably be delayed by at least a year, or even be at risk of cancellation, the companies’ filing said.
Trump has repeatedly criticized wind energy as ugly, unreliable and expensive, and his administration has taken steps to rein in wind development.
BOEM also halted a neighboring project owned by Norwegian energy firm Equinor in April, although the order was later lifted after diplomatic efforts by Norway’s government.
Revolution Wind was scheduled to be completed next year. Ørsted which announced last month a plan to raise 60bn Danish crowns ($9.41bn) through a rights issue for the project.
