The Trump administration on Monday ordered an immediate pause on federal leases for five large offshore wind projects under construction along the East Coast — including two in Southern New England — citing national security risks flagged by the Pentagon.
The decision affects projects off Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Virginia and marks a significant escalation in President Donald Trump’s push to halt offshore wind development nationwide.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the pause will allow the U.S. Department of the Interior to work with the U.S. Department of Defense and other agencies to assess whether security risks tied to offshore wind turbines can be mitigated.
“The prime duty of the United States government is to protect the American people,” Burgum said in a statement. He cited concerns about emerging adversary technologies and the proximity of large-scale wind projects to densely populated East Coast areas.
In a social media post, Burgum said the administration is pausing leases for “five expensive, unreliable, heavily subsidized offshore wind farms,” arguing that a single natural gas pipeline can generate as much energy as the five projects combined.
The projects affected include Vineyard Wind, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Sunrise Wind, and Empire Wind.
According to the Interior Department, unclassified government reports have long warned that offshore wind turbines can interfere with military radar. The massive rotating blades and highly reflective towers can create radar “clutter,” obscuring real targets and producing false ones near wind farms.
A 2024 Department of Energy report found that while radar systems can be adjusted to reduce clutter, doing so may increase the risk of missing actual threats.
The move comes just two weeks after a federal judge struck down an executive order from Trump aimed at blocking wind energy projects, ruling it unlawful. Despite that setback, Monday’s action underscores the administration’s continued effort to curb offshore wind development while prioritizing national security concerns.
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