Trump’s Plan: Halt All Offshore Wind Projects
January 17, 2025
Trump promised to halt offshore wind projects. Here’s what this executive action would mean for Americans’ energy choices and our clean energy economy.
Trump’s Promises:
- Trump promised to end offshore wind development “on day one” and said he would “write it out in an executive order.”
- Trump promised to end new wind farms, saying “no new windmills” would be made in the U.S. once he assumes office.
- Trump is working with Republicans in Congress on an executive order to stop offshore wind development.
The Impacts:
- Banning offshore wind development will hurt local jobs and economies. The offshore wind industry was projected to invest $65 billion in projects by 2030, supporting 56,000 U.S. jobs.
- More than 4,100 companies across 50 states joined a supplier registry to provide components and services to the offshore wind industry.
- Halting the domestic manufacturing of turbines would cede America’s role in the industry to China, forcing international partners to rely on Chinese-made turbines.
- Developing offshore wind saves Americans money. Proposed and under-development offshore wind farms in the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are projected to decrease electricity bills by $2.8 billion, or $19 per megawatt hour of electricity generated from offshore wind.
- Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island developing 9 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 could save New England ratepayers an average of $630 million per year.
- The development of planned offshore wind farms in these areas is also projected to reduce gas prices by 2.5 percent.
- Halting offshore wind development will limit Americans’ choice of reliable, affordable energy, with proposed offshore wind farms having the capacity to produce 2.5 percent of current U.S. electricity generation.
- If developed, currently proposed offshore wind farms could reduce power sector greenhouse gas pollution by 5 percent in 2035 – reducing harms to Americans’ health and preventing approximately 2,100 premature deaths annually.