Trump Administration Plans to Withdraw Approval for Maryland Offshore Wind
The efforts to derail the U.S. offshore wind energy business are continuing with the Department of Justice confirming the Trump administration’s intent to withdraw previously issued approvals for Maryland’s first offshore wind farm to be developed by US Wind. Justice informed district courts in Delaware and Maryland of its intended action following an earlier jurisdictional dispute between Maryland and the federal Environmental Protection Agency that also sought to challenge the process for the Maryland project.
The TV news channel in Maryland, WBOC, reported on Friday, August 22, that the Department of Justice had moved to stay a pending lawsuit in Delaware in which a homeowner is challenging the wind farm’s permits under the Clean Water Act. The reasoning the DOJ gave was its intent to withdraw approval for the wind farm, making the court case irrelevant and a waste of time.
DOJ on Monday, August 25, WBOC reports, filed additional details in the District Court of Maryland. There it told the court that the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy (BOEM) intends to “voluntarily remand and vacate its approval of the Construction and Operations Plan” for US Wind’s Maryland windfarm project. DOJ revealed the action would come by September 12.
The filing does not reveal the reasoning, but opponents of the project have long argued the approval process was rushed, lacked transparency, and “completely ignored” the concerns of residents and the city government in Ocean City, Maryland. In the past, BOEM and the Department of the Interior have said they found “concerns” when they reviewed the approval process for other wind farm projects. Last week, the Department of Commerce also cited national security concerns, saying it would launch a review of the foreign supply of material and equipment for the wind energy industry.
The Biden administration approved the Maryland wind farm project in 2024 after what the company says was a multi-year and rigorous public review process. Residents and businesses in Ocean City have argued that the wind farm would hurt their tourism business. US Wind asserts that the project has a strong legal footing, and it is confident that the project’s permits were validly issued.
US Wind, which is a partnership between Italy’s Renexia and American investment firm Apollo Global Management, won its lease for nearly 47,000 acres in August 2014. Final federal approvals were given in 2024, and by Maryland in June 2025. The plan calls for two phases, which, when completed, would have 114 turbines and approximately a total of 2 GW. Reports said construction could start as early as 2026, although the DOJ is citing 2028.
The EPA last month sought to challenge the Maryland Department of the Environment, alleging the state was making an error in the administration of the final appeal process for permits issued to the wind farm. The state authority fired back, saying it was the EPA that was wrong, that the authority lay with the state, and that state-issued permits adhere to, or are more stringent than, federal requirements.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who was already in a war of words with Donald Trump over the assertions about Baltimore’s police and a plan to send in the national guard, angrily responded to the news that the administration plans to challenge the wind farm. In a statement to WBOC, Moore called the administration’s plans “utterly shortsighted,” citing the investments and jobs the wind farm would provide. He said the president’s actions will directly lead to utility rate hikes for Marylanders.
Moore followed the governors of Connecticut and Rhode Island, who have also been speaking out after the administration last Friday, August 22, issued a stop work order for Revolution Wind, an offshore project that has been under construction since 2024. Denmark’s Ørsted said it would comply while noting the project is 80 percent installed. It is looking for clarity and considering actions, including a lawsuit.
The Trump administration has taken multiple steps since its January 2025 inauguration, starting with the presidential executive order putting the sector and the leasing process under review. It has suspended future licenses, approvals, and reviews, and then started challenging approved projects. In New Jersey, it withdrew an EPA permit related to the proposed construction of a wind farm, while in New York, it suspended offshore work for a month for the Empire Wind project. In New York, it relented after political pressure, including from the Norwegian government, and reports of a deal to permit a blocked oil pipeline to proceed.
The actions of the administration have created further uncertainty and pressure on an industry that was already facing challenges ranging from rising costs to supply chain problems and a lack of vessels for installation. Investors have backed away from the U.S. industry, saying the latest moves are making the risks too high to proceed with developments.