Trump administration to pay 2 more companies to walk away from US offshore wind leases [View all]

Source: AP

Updated 7:16 PM EDT, April 27, 2026


WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced two more payouts Monday for energy companies to walk away from U.S. offshore wind projects under development. Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind have agreed to end their offshore wind leases in exchange for reimbursements totaling nearly $900 million.

Both companies have decided not to pursue any new offshore wind projects in the United States, the Interior Department announced Monday. Bluepoint Wind is an offshore wind project in the early stages of development off the coasts of New Jersey and New York, while Golden State Wind is a floating offshore wind project proposed off California’s central coast.

Interior said it’s following the model of its recent deal with the French energy company TotalEnergies, which is getting a $1 billion payout to walk away from projects off the coasts of North Carolina and New York. TotalEnergies agreed in March to what’s essentially a refund of its leases, and will invest the money in fossil fuel projects instead.

The deals come after the administration’s efforts to block offshore wind have been thwarted by the courts. A federal judge vacated President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking wind energy projects in December, declaring it unlawful as she sided with state attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., who challenged the order.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-offshore-wind-energy-climate-interior-02a1fa04b750809bbe035a70256c734d