U.S. Offshore Wind Pause: Is it More Vindictive Governance? It Sure Seems Like It

      Although the reason given for the offshore wind pause is national security due to possible radar interference, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, one of several Trump administration billionaires, couldn’t help dissing the projects in his post on X:

 “Due to national security concerns identified by @DeptofWar, @Interior is PAUSING leases for 5 expensive, unreliable, heavily subsidized offshore wind farms!”

     The official announcement from the Interior Department stated the reasons for the pause:

“As for the national security risks inherent to large-scale offshore wind projects, unclassified reports from the U.S. Government have long found that the movement of massive turbine blades and the highly reflective towers create radar interference called “clutter.” The clutter caused by offshore wind projects obscures legitimate moving targets and generates false targets in the vicinity of the wind projects.”

“The Department of Energy in a 2024 report stated that a radar’s threshold for false alarm detection can be increased to reduce some clutter, but an increased detection threshold could cause the radar to “miss actual targets.”

“Today’s action ensures that national security risks posed by offshore wind projects are appropriately addressed and that the United States government retains its ability to effectively defend the American people.”  

     It makes me wonder whether the drilling and production platforms along the Gulf Coast cause similar reflections. They are not as high, being 100 to 200ft above water, compared to offshore wind turbines at 450 to 600ft above water.

     As some of these projects are nearing completion, some wind turbines are already up and theoretically already interfering with radar. Will they order them torn down? Will they be outfitted with something to minimize the radar interference risk? Is the pause really necessary, or, as many others and I surmise, is it just more vindictive governance?

     Earlier this month, a federal judge declared the Trump administration’s ban on offshore wind projects illegal. Perhaps this is a response to that. The judges' ruling effectively lifted the pause on federal permitting for wind energy projects in a ruling on a lawsuit brought by over a dozen state attorneys general and the Alliance for Clean Energy New York. Those who brought the suit and those who support it cited the loss of work and pay for thousands of offshore wind workers, labor unions, and training for a U.S. offshore wind industry. While there is considerable legitimate debate on the economics of offshore wind and whether other energy sources would be better and cheaper for consumers, there is a clear need in the areas of the projects for more grid power. Now, it is unclear what will meet the new power demand. The President of the Ironworkers District Council of the Mid-Atlantic States praised the decision to vacate the initial permitting ban:

“This decision is a victory for Ironworkers in Maryland and our brothers and sisters from across the labor movement. For years, we in labor have known that offshore wind is a critical piece of our energy future, and accordingly, we have invested heavily in training our members to work in this industry,” said Kendall Martin, President of the Ironworkers District Council of the Mid-Atlantic States. “This week’s legal victory is an important step toward ensuring that training will continue to be put to use. Offshore wind creates good union jobs, provides reliable energy, and makes our environment healthier and our air cleaner. As energy demand is skyrocketing and costs are burdening families, we need to bring as much domestic, affordable power online as possible. Offshore wind is ready to provide that power. Let’s get back to work building it.”

     The pause is expected to last for 90 days and will have serious impacts on the five projects that were paused. Dominion’s $11 billion, 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) Project is one of the paused projects. Dominion’s stock dropped significantly in response to the news. Other developers’ stock also dropped.

“The announcement came just one day after a ship left port to begin installing the first turbines beyond the two pilot turbines that were built in 2020.”

“In response, Dominion raised concerns that delays to the project could worsen strains on the electric grid as energy demand continues to grow from the naval base, residential customers and the rapidly expanding data center industry.”

“Stopping CVOW for any length of time will threaten grid reliability for some of the nation’s most important war fighting, AI, and civilian assets. It will also lead to energy inflation and threaten thousands of jobs,” Dominion said in a statement.

     Dominion had been expecting the first power to be produced from the project by the end of March 2026, just three months from now.

“The project has been more than 10 years in the works, involved close coordination with the military, and is located 27 to 44 miles offshore, so far offshore it does not raise visual impact concerns. The project’s two pilot turbines have been operating for five years without causing any impacts to national security,” Dominion said.

“U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats, and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, released a joint statement calling the move by the Trump Administration political:

“Despite our senior roles on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, the administration has failed to share any new information that supports this sudden and sweeping move to halt all offshore wind development, including a project off the coast of Virginia that is already almost complete and operational,” they said. “That silence speaks volumes, especially given the president’s longstanding, well-documented opposition to offshore wind.”

“CVOW is essential for American national security and meeting Virginia’s dramatically growing energy needs, the fastest growth in America,” Dominion said. “This growth is driven by the need to provide reliable power to many of America’s most important war fighting installations, the world’s largest warship manufacturer, and the largest concentration of data centers on the planet as well as the leading edge of the AI revolution.”

     Both Virginia’s outgoing Republican Governor Glen Youngkin and Democratic Governor-Elect Abigail Spanberger have expressed support for Dominion’s project.

     While there are legitimate concerns that offshore wind power can end up making consumers pay more for electricity compared to other forms of power, those costs are already being paid by Virginia’s power customers.

     There is abundant proof of vindictive governance by the Trump administration, including illegally withholding funding specifically for “blue” states, filing phony mortgage fraud lawsuits against those whom Trump doesn’t like, equating DEI to racism against white people, efforts to purge anyone in government not sufficiently allied to Trump’s goals, etc., etc. There are likely many more examples.

 

     

 

References:

 

Trump halts construction on all offshore wind projects. The Grinch of Offshore Wind. Heatmap. December 23, 2025.

The Trump Administration Protects U.S. National Security by Pausing Offshore Wind Leases. U.S. Department of the Interior. December 22, 2025. The Trump Administration Protects U.S. National Security by Pausing Offshore Wind Leases | U.S. Department of the Interior

List of tallest oil platforms. Wikipedia. List of tallest oil platforms - Wikipedia

Federal judge says Trump’s offshore wind blockade is illegal. Wind Power Engineering & Development. December 11, 2025. Federal judge says Trump's offshore wind blockade is illegal

Dominion offshore wind project paused over cited national security concerns: Interior Department orders 90-day halt as the utility company warns delay could strain grid reliability. Shannon Heckt. Virginia Mercury. December 23, 2025. Dominion offshore wind project paused over cited national security concerns • Virginia Mercury