Politics · United States · 3 hrs ago
Trump administration asks court to reopen New England Wind permit
The Trump administration wants to reopen New England Wind’s federal permit, asking a court to send the approval back to the Interior Department.
The proposed wind farm would be built off Massachusetts, but construction has not started.
The permit was approved in 2024 under President Joe Biden, and opponents have challenged it in court over alleged failures to follow federal laws.
The administration is also seeking to revisit approvals for other East Coast wind projects, including one already generating power off Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Reopening permits could create uncertainty for energy projects, including those already approved or operating.
The move may put a bipartisan Senate permitting deal at risk, according to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who helped negotiate it.
The Senate has not yet voted on the bill, and the court must still decide what to do with the permit.
The Trump administration has asked a federal court to return the New England Wind permit to the Interior Department for reconsideration.
The project is planned off Massachusetts and has not begun construction.
The Justice Department said the permit should be reconsidered because the approval did not adequately address the project’s impacts and legal compliance.
The move is part of a broader effort to revisit federal approvals for offshore wind projects along the East Coast.
The request comes as Congress considers a bipartisan bill to speed up permitting for energy and infrastructure projects.
- Who
- The Trump administration, through the Justice Department, asked the court to return the permit to the Interior Department.
- What
- It wants the department to reconsider its federal approval of the New England Wind project.
- When
- The request was filed on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
- Where
- New England Wind is planned off the coast of Massachusetts; the case is in the District Court for the District of Columbia.
- Why
- The administration says the approval did not adequately address the project’s impacts and compliance with the law.
Trump administration
Offshore wind opponents
Permit review
Trump administration
The administration supports returning the permit to Interior for reconsideration, saying the approval did not adequately address legal requirements and impacts.
Offshore wind opponents
ACK for Whales challenged the approval, arguing the federal government failed to comply with numerous statutes and raising concerns about offshore wind’s negative impacts.
The Biden administration approved the construction and operations plan for New England Wind.
The Senate reached a bipartisan deal on a permitting bill, which had not yet been voted on.
The Justice Department asked the court to send the New England Wind permit back to Interior for reconsideration.
Sheldon Whitehouse warned that the administration’s actions could derail the permitting deal.
- Project
- New England Wind
- Location
- Off the coast of Massachusetts
- Proposed capacity
- Up to 2,600 megawatts
- Turbines
- Up to 129
- Homes
- More than 900,000 homes could be powered each year
- Developer
- Avangrid
3 sources
What people are saying
This is part of a pattern of activity to try to prevent the buildout of offshore wind, that is energy that the U.S. people desperately need
This is how you blow up a permitting deal
Whether it’s transmission lines, whether it’s offshore or onshore infrastructure, it can create vast uncertainty as to already approved and operational projects