(Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration’s ongoing review of offshore wind projects will feature different treatment for existing ventures versus those that are still merely in the proposed stage, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday.
Burgum’s comments, delivered to reporters on the sidelines of a visit to a natural gas export facility in Louisiana, signal a possible opening for less-expansive treatment of wind farms that have already secured federal permits and are under construction.
President Donald Trump indefinitely halted the sale of new offshore wind leases on his first day in office, while also pausing permitting of all wind projects on federal lands and waters. He also raised the specter of outright cancellations for existing leases. The president directed the Interior Department to review the “necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases” and “identifying any legal bases for such removal.”
Burgum made clear that review is underway.
“By executive order, we are looking at all the wind projects that are going on, and existing ones will receive different treatment than those that are proposed,” he said. “But I won’t be pre-determinant. We are in the process of taking a look at those.”
Trump has repeatedly singled out the offshore wind industry for criticism, and his first-day moves against the nascent sector have spooked developers of even existing projects. Ongoing litigation challenging wind farm approvals could present an additional opening for Trump’s Interior Department to revisit earlier approvals.
Burgum said the permitting pause is appropriate.
“People are concerned about the whales that have been dying. People are concerned about blades falling off and washing up on shore. So offshore wind certainly deserved the pause,” he said. “That, I think, is the sentiment of the people that live in those communities and President Trump is responding to those citizens.”
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
