The Interior Department paused leases for five under-construction offshore wind projects on national security grounds, marking the latest in the Trump administration’s crackdown on wind energy.
The department announced Monday morning that it halted five offshore wind projects along the East Coast, including Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, CVOW – Commercial, Sunrise Wind, and Empire Wind 1.
The five projects had obtained all of the required federal permits and were at various stages of construction. Empire Wind was expected to come online next year.
The Interior Department paused the leases for these projects over national security concerns related to the movement of massive turbine blades and the highly reflective towers, which create radar interference called “clutter.” The department argued that “clutter” can obscure legitimate targets and generate false targets in their vicinity.
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“Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. “The Trump administration will always prioritize the security of the American people.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.
