Connecticut and Rhode Island are preparing to sue the Trump administration to overturn a federal order halting construction of the nearly complete Revolution Wind project off the Rhode Island coast, Attorney General William Tong announced Thursday.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued the stop-work order Aug. 22 without citing any violations of law or safety concerns, state officials said. Tong said he and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha plan to file their complaint Thursday in Rhode Island federal court, arguing the order is unlawful and threatens jobs, energy savings and reliability.
Revolution Wind is designed to supply power for 350,000 New England homes starting in 2026 and has cleared all federal and state regulatory reviews. The project is about 80% finished and supports more than 2,500 jobs, including over 1,000 union construction positions.
Gov. Ned Lamont and members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation said the halt will raise energy costs for families and jeopardize economic growth tied to offshore wind.
Ørsted, developer of the Revolution Wind project, received a letter in late August from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, BOEM, ordering it to “halt all ongoing activities related to the Revolution Wind Project on the outer continental shelf.”
The letter went on to say that this was to allow time for BOEM to address concerns that have arisen since President Trump’s inauguration day order to stop any new wind projects on federal properties and review all those underway.
