President Trump has left no doubt about his position on the alleged purpose and need for offshore wind factories.
Calling them “environmental and economic disasters,” he has frequently declared that he “does not want even one wind turbine built” during his administration.
Yet just down the coast from the White House in Virginia, Dominion Energy is preparing to resume construction of one of the largest offshore wind projects in the world: a 176-turbine behemoth covering more than 100,000 acres. It is far from complete. Only half the monopolies and none of the 14-megawatt turbines, the industry’s largest, have been installed.
Dominion officials are clear about their intent to proceed with construction. Notwithstanding an executive order from Mr. Trump on Day 1 of his administration, which called for a complete reexamination of the purpose and need for offshore wind, Dominion officials have declared that “they are confident the project will be completed on time” and they intend to resume construction May 1.
The Trump administration has all the legal tools necessary to order a temporary halt to this construction as it studies the (in)sufficiency of offshore wind as an affordable and reliable electricity provider. The presidential order explicitly mandates that federal agencies conduct such an analysis to determine whether existing wind leases should be “amended or terminated.”
Although Dominion has the legal right to the leasehold itself, the timing and conditions of any construction within the lease area lie entirely within the discretion and control of the federal government. The lease agreement states that the construction schedule is subject to a government-approved construction and an eleventh-hour operations plan. This plan gives the Interior Department the right to alter the construction schedule at any time. The lease agreement specifically provides that “the Lessee [Dominion] bears the risk that amendments to the [construction and operations plan] may increase or decrease the Lessee’s obligations under the lease.”
The Interior Department used this power to halt construction of the Vineyard Wind project off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard after one of its turbines sustained a catastrophic blade failure.
The Trump administration has the clear authority to halt ongoing construction while determining whether the Dominion lease and all other offshore wind leases truly serve the national interest.
The dozens of community groups and individuals who have filed suit to halt offshore wind are relying on the Interior Department to implement the presidential order, which specifically calls into question the viability of offshore wind projects and their potential to stymie Mr. Trump’s stated goal of national “energy dominance.” This means construction should be halted on the four leases in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and Virginia, where construction is scheduled to begin May 1. The five additional leases that the Biden administration rushed through eleventh-hour permit approvals last year should also have their construction suspended.
It would be ironic, even tragic, if an administration that so thoroughly understands that offshore wind is a “disaster” would allow the largest offshore wind project in the world to be constructed in its backyard.
• Collister Johnson has spent the past four decades working in the public and private sectors in Virginia, primarily in project finance and maritime transportation. He began his career in public service as chairman of the board of the Virginia Port Authority. He was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate as a member of the Overseas Private Investment Corp. and, most recently, as administrator of the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp.
