‘Targeted Attack’ | US DOI Plans to Revoke More Permits; White House Seeking to Engage Health and Human Services Department?

Sept. 5 (offshoreWIND.biz) In a matter of months, the US offshore wind industry went from a growing investor and employer to an industry that is now undergoing what Oceantic Network called a “targeted attack” after reports emerged that the US Department of the Interior (DOI) plans to revoke federal permits for two more projects. The Trump administration has reportedly also asked multiple agencies, some of which are typically not involved in offshore energy permitting, to get involved in reviewing the impacts of offshore wind.

DOI Plans to Revoke Permits for Avangrid’s and Ocean Winds’ Projects

Reuters reports that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicated in recent, separate court filings that it would move to remand federal permits for Avangrid’s New England Wind and Ocean Winds’ SouthCoast Wind offshore wind projects, both approved to be built in the federal waters off Massachusetts.

The DOJ, acting on behalf of the Department of the Interior, disclosed in a filing submitted to the US District Court for the District of Columbia that it intended to seek a court order to vacate BOEM’s approval of the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for Avangrid’s New England Wind project off Massachusetts. The filing states DOJ will make that move by 10 October, reversing the 2024 approval granted under the previous administration.

In a separate legal document submitted in the same court, the Justice Department said the Interior intends to move for a voluntary remand of SouthCoast Wind’s approval by 18 September, and asked the court to stay litigation brought by the town of Nantucket while that review proceeds.

SouthCoast Wind, owned and developed by Ocean Winds, has opposed the move in filings with the same court, saying the delay and the forthcoming request for remand were “simply pretexts for the unabashed desire of the President to eliminate all offshore wind projects from existence regardless of their impacts”, Reuters reports.

The news comes shortly after the DOI revealed an upcoming motion to vacate a federal permit for a 2 GW offshore wind project off Maryland.

In a court filing on 22 August as part of a lawsuit in Delaware, where a homeowner initiated legal action against the DOI’s decision to approve the COP for US Wind’ Maryland Offshore Wind Project, the DOI requested that the district court stay the case, as it was now looking to vacate the decision in a separate, but related, case in Maryland, where the DOI is also a defendant.

The motion for a remand of BOEM’s approval of the COP for the Maryland Offshore Wind Project is expected to be filed by 12 September.

Read full article ‘Targeted Attack’ | US DOI Plans to Revoke More Permits; White House Seeking to Engage Health and Human Services Department? | Offshore Wind