Offshore Wind’s Political Journey: Obama Sets the Stage, Trump Advances, Biden Accelerates

This is an eyeopener….

Article by Toussaint Williams – Plugged Into US Offshore Wind

November 26, 2024

Donald Trump’s views on wind energy are well known — and not exactly favorable. He has criticized offshore wind as “horrible” and “the most expensive energy there is,” claiming it “destroys everything” and blaming turbines for killing birds and whales. During his 2024 campaign, Trump promised to stop offshore wind development, stating: “We are going to make sure that that ends on Day 1. I’m going to write it out in an executive order. It’s going to end on Day 1.”

Despite his vocal opposition to renewable energy, however, the Trump administration helped drive significant progress in U.S. offshore wind development. How did this happen? The answer lies in the Trump administration’s complex approach to energy — one that balanced public support for fossil fuels with behind-the-scenes efforts to diversify the nation’s energy mix. As Jon Hrobsky, Policy Director at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and former decision-maker at the Department of Interior, put it during the Oceantic Network’s Post-Election Webinar: “There were a lot of things that weren’t publicized and frankly, probably downplayed due to the fact that the Biden folks embraced it so much, but that doesn’t minimize that there was movement.”

Trump’s administration built on the Obama administration’s “Smart from the Start” wind energy initiative — which identified priority Wind Energy Areas and streamlined leasing — and helped create a framework for offshore wind that Biden has since accelerated.

Muted Contributions of the Trump Administration

A Record-Breaking Lease Auction

In 2018, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) hosted a historic offshore wind lease auction for areas off the coast of Massachusetts. The auction brought in a record $405 million in bids, signaling growing confidence in the offshore wind industry. Even with Trump’s public skepticism about wind, this milestone was celebrated, subtly in the form of DOI press releases, as proof of its commitment to “American energy dominance.”

  • Then Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke remarked: “To anyone who doubted that our ambitious vision for energy dominance would not include renewables, today we put that rumor to rest. With bold leadership, faster, streamlined environmental reviews, and a lot of hard work with our states and fishermen, we’ve given the wind industry the confidence to think and bid big.”
  • Source: DOI press release

Streamlining Processes for Offshore Wind Projects

Under Trump, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) worked to simplify permitting and leasing processes, making it easier for offshore wind projects to get off the ground.

Key actions included:

  • Massachusetts Lease Auction Sites (Vineyard Wind and others): BOEM sped up the permitting process, reducing delays for key steps like Construction and Operations Plan (COP) approvals.
  • Rhode Island and Massachusetts Projects: Large projects like South Fork Wind saw clearer Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) processes initiated during Trump’s time.
  • New York Bight Development: Preliminary lease work for this critical region got underway under Trump, setting the stage for significant auctions under Biden.

These moves — while not necessarily trumpeted in public speeches — demonstrated a practical approach to diversifying energy sources, even as Trump’s rhetoric favored fossil fuels.

From Cold Shoulder to Warm Words

While Trump often minimized renewable energy’s importance, he did occasionally recognize the potential of offshore wind. For example, in his 2017 proclamation for National Ocean Month, he said:

  • “We have yet to fully leverage new technologies and unleash the forces of economic innovation to more fully develop and explore our ocean economy… including wind, wave, and tidal resources.”
  • Source: National Ocean Month proclamation

Its worth noting that this was at the start of President Trump’s first term, but begs the question of what’s changed, what’s made his rhetoric so anti-wind up to now?

Legacy Foundations for a Renewable Revolution

The progress made during Trump’s first term is a good reminder that industry evolution doesn’t always match political rhetoric. Whether intentionally or not, the policies set during his administration built a foundation for offshore wind that the Biden Administration has grown to its current state. This foundation is evident in the current pipeline of U.S. offshore wind projects, categorized below:

Operational Projects

These projects are already generating clean energy:

Under Construction

Projects currently being developed, with significant capacity additions:

Construction Approved, Not Yet Started

These projects have green lights for construction:

Awaiting Final Approvals

These projects are nearing final approval:

A Resilient Industry

Looking ahead at a second Trump term, the big question is: Will offshore wind continue to grow? If history is any indicator, the industry will likely keep moving forward, driven at the state and local level and by private developers. As Jon Hrobsky also aptly put, any successful industry should be, “able to survive politically regardless of who’s in power,” so I look forward to tracking how the industry moves leading up to inauguration day and after.

#PluggedIntoUSOffshoreWind #OffshoreWind #TrumpAdministration #EnergyPolicy #EnergyTransition #RenewableEnergy

This article kicks off a pre-launch series exploring the journey of offshore wind in the U.S., tracking its evolution through key administrations and into the upcoming chapter post-inauguration. If you’re interested in how political dynamics impact the progression of U.S. offshore wind and learning alongside me, explore with me through my channels:

Follow for more insights as we navigate the future of U.S. offshore wind together.

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