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US President Donald Trump has achieved what no-one else thought possible, squandering billions in taxpayer dollars and flushing thousands of good-paying, working class jobs into the toilet while shrinking the once-promising domestic offshore wind industry down to a shell of its former self. However, his ultimate failure is already written in the wind, so to speak as coastal states begin prepping for the wind industry of the future.
Where’s The Fire?
Considering the state of “energy emergency” Trump himself declared upon taking office last year (further reinforced by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and continuing into this year), his war on offshore wind is practically an act of sabotage. After all, what do you call it when, in the midst of an energy emergency, a US President deliberately cuts entire states off from significant energy resources right on their doorsteps.
Be that as it may, the damage was relatively limited last year, when Trump imposed specious re-reviews on several offshore projects in the pipeline. He also summarily ordered a halt to five offshore projects where construction was already in progress. However, in December a federal judge ruled that the re-reviews were unwarranted, and earlier this year a series of judges ruled that work could continue on the five interrupted projects (see more wind war background here).
