It is 679 million dollars that could cost America its future. On Friday the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that it was cutting an entire package of federal funds – money intended for the development of ports and terminals to advance offshore wind power. 12 projects across the country are affected. What was a cornerstone of the energy transition under the Biden administration is becoming under Donald Trump the victim of a political reckoning: wind power is considered an enemy image in the White House. The blow is particularly severe for California. There, 427 million dollars were supposed to flow into Humboldt County for a new terminal from which floating wind turbines would be deployed into the sea – a central project to achieve the state’s ambitious climate goals. In the Northeast too, visions are being erased: 48 million dollars for an offshore wind port on Staten Island disappear as do 39 million for the modernization of a port near Norfolk in Virginia and 20 million for a terminal in Paulsboro, New Jersey. All these locations were planned as hubs to assemble giant turbines and send them out into the Atlantic.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrapped the step in a rhetorical offensive: it was “wasteful” to put money into wind projects that could better be used for the maritime industry. But behind this language lies a program that has been carried out consistently since the first day of Trump’s second term: a crusade against renewable energy. Already on January 20, 2025, the day of his inauguration, Trump imposed a moratorium on all new offshore wind approvals. In recent weeks the administration has escalated sharply. The construction site of Revolution Wind, a six billion dollar megaproject off Rhode Island, was abruptly stopped – even though it was nearly finished. Rhode Island and Connecticut protested sharply, called the step unlawful and warned of massive consequences for the region’s electricity supply. William Tong, Attorney General of Connecticut, immediately announced a lawsuit before the federal court in Massachusetts: “We have billions invested and a project that is near completion. Trump’s irrational stop drives up electricity prices, destroys jobs and weakens our grid.”
But that is not the end. The planned Maryland Offshore Wind Project, a facility with up to 114 turbines off Ocean City, is also supposed to be rolled back – even before the first groundbreaking. In court documents the Department of the Interior has already signaled that it intends to withdraw the approvals. Legally this amounts to a maneuver that could block the dispute indefinitely. A lawsuit against the project in Delaware is supposed to be “stayed” until a court in Maryland decides on the withdrawal of the permits. The administration is deliberately relying on delay: a tactical victory at the desk while the turbines at sea stand still. The language of the lawyers is cool, but the content explosive: if the approval for Maryland were revoked, all lawsuits would be moot. Even if not, the administration could issue new requirements and prolong the process yet again. In the briefs it is soberly stated that this serves “judicial economy.” In reality it means: politics dictates which energy projects have a future at all – and which are strangled in a paper war.
Trump attacks wind power not out of economic reason but out of ideological conviction. For years he has maligned wind turbines as “ugly,” “loud,” and “deadly for birds.” But it is about more: wind power stands for an energy transition based on decentralization, climate protection, and new jobs – all values that Trump’s policy rejects. Instead he supports fossil industries, promises coal and oil regions a renaissance, and tries to brand the energy transition as a “crazy elite project.” The damage is immense. Billions in investments are at risk, legal disputes paralyze companies, and the credibility of the United States as a reliable partner in the fight against climate change is being undermined. Europe and Asia are massively expanding their offshore capacities while Washington sabotages its own projects. The consequence: jobs migrate, climate goals become unattainable, and energy prices in the United States could rise because renewable alternatives are missing. Trump calls it “revitalization of the maritime industry.” In truth it is the attempt to turn back the clock – to a time when coal and oil dominated the economy. But history cannot be stopped. The turbines will be built, whether in the United States or elsewhere. The only question is whether America will be part of this future – or whether it will put itself in the slipstream.
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Amerika ist seit Trump kein Teil der Zukunft mehr.
Die USA rennen in riesige Schritten zurück ins Mittelalter.
Die Summe, die Summe ist nicht mal das, was der Einsatz der Nationalgarde in die DC kostet.
Aber Trumps Rachfeldzug interessiert das nicht.
Er mag keine Windräder, also wird -koste was es wolle- dagegen gekämpft.