The Trump administration has ordered the halt on all construction at an offshore wind farm designed to provide electric power to 350,000 homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Matthew Giacona, acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, sent a letter to Orsted, the Danish company building the Revolution Wind project off the lower New England coast, ordering that all work stop while his agency seeks to “address concerns related to the protection of national security interests of the United States and prevention of interference with reasonable uses of the exclusive economic, the high seas, and the territorial seas.” Giacona added that work could not resume on the project until BOEM authorizes its continuation.
The $1.5 billion was 80% completed at the time of Giacona’s letter, according to Orsted, with 45 of its 65 offshore wind turbines already installed. The project’s completion is scheduled for next year.
“Revolution Wind is complying with the order and is taking appropriate steps to stop offshore activities, ensuring the safety of workers and the environment,” Orsted said in a statement. “Orsted is evaluating all options to resolve the matter expeditiously.”
This is the second time this year that the Trump administration stopped work on offshore wind projects. In April, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum halted work on Empire Wind project off New York State’s coast. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul later said the administration agreed to lift its stop work order to enable construction to continue.
What is the short term and long term cost per kilowatt of electricity produced by these wind mills? Because they are environmentally cleaner or produce little air and water pollution once installed then the extra costs are usually found to be acceptable in the eyes of many. The eye sore affect of seeing wind turbines is hard to quantify but it isn’t like looking at a pristine image. The affects on killing some birds could be a concern but sea gulls are a dime a dozen. How do their presence affect boating lanes? I personally do not like federal dollars spent on these projects. I believe that they should be borne by the states and utilities that want such forms of alternative power production.
So the effects of climate change should be ignored and we should continue to pollute the environment and add to global warming for the benefit of the oil companies? Looking at windmills makes me think that we are helping the planet. What about the people who have to live in pollution every day where the oil refineries are located? But they have jobs like the people working in the armament companies making weapons for our country to sell or give to other countries so they can kill women and children? So the owners can sit in their mansions far away from all this and count their money. Disgusting!