December 22, 2025
2 min read
Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm
Trump Administration Targets Offshore Wind Farms, Citing National Security Concerns
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced it would “pause” leases for five large offshore wind farms, imperiling the fast-growing clean energy industry
Pilot project turbines for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Program, slated to be completed in 2026.
Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service/Getty Images
The Trump administration on Monday announced it was “pausing—effective immediately” leases for five large offshore wind farms being built off the East Coast. In the announcement, Department of the Interior secretary Doug Burgum cited “emerging national security risks” for the decision, but the agency provided no evidence as to what risks had been found.
The five projects affected by the pause are offshore of New York State, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Virginia. Around 5.8 gigawatts of offshore wind was expected to come online in the U.S. between 2025 to 2029—enough to power millions of homes across the Eastern Seaboard. Some $10 billion has been invested in the U.S. wind industry since 2021. The Trump administration decision imperils that both that investment and future energy capacity.
A statement announcing the decision on Monday indicated that wind turbines caused radar “clutter,” referencing a 2024 Energy Department report that looked into wind turbines’ effect on radar systems.
On supporting science journalism
If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
That report warned that clutter from wind turbines in the line of sight of defense and civilian radar systems can cause interference and lead to false alarms. One strategy to mitigate this problem, the report noted, is to lower radar detection thresholds—which reduces the clutter but could result in missing “actual targets.” Another option the report proposed is to ensure wind farms aren’t built in a radar’s line of sight.
“We should not be kneecapping America’s largest source of renewable power, especially when we need more cheap, homegrown electricity,” said Ted Kelly of U.S. Clean Energy at the Environmental Defense Fund, in a statement. “Instead, this administration has baselessly and unlawfully attacked wind energy,” he added.
One of the affected projects, the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, was sited “in close coordination with the military,” according to a spokesperson for Dominion Energy, which operates the wind farm, in comments to the New York Times. Indeed, wind farm operators, scientists and the military have collaborated on minimizing radar effects of wind farms for decades. Burgum on Monday told Fox Business that the decision to pause the projects came because the Department of Defense “has come back conclusively that … these large offshore wind programs create radar interference.”
The Department of the Interior and the Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Editor’s Note: This story is in development and may be updated.
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.
