The US Interior Department has allowed the deadline to appeal court injunctions against its stop-work orders on five major offshore wind projects to lapse. This decision clears the way for construction to resume on the nation's first large-scale wind farms along the eastern seaboard. The projects, when complete, will generate power for over 2 million homes.
In December, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum paused work on five under-construction offshore wind farms citing national security concerns. The projects include two off the Massachusetts coast, two south of Long Island, and one off Virginia. Developers sued, and federal judges issued injunctions blocking the orders. Last week, the department quietly let the final appeal deadline pass without action, allowing construction to proceed unless new cases arise. Tony Irish, a former Interior Department lawyer who left in 2025, said the lack of appeal suggests the national security claims were not strongly founded. “If the actual reason behind the stop work orders was legitimately founded in national security, I would be very surprised by the lack of appeal,” Irish said. Several projects have already begun producing power. Revolution Wind, developed by Danish firm Ørsted, delivered its first electricity to the New England grid in mid-March. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, from utility Dominion, is 70 percent complete and sent its first power last month. Vineyard Wind generated significant electricity during Winter Storm Fern earlier this year when other sources were offline. The decision could aid bipartisan talks on a permitting reform bill, which stalled after Burgum's orders. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island leading the discussions, conditioned resumption on the department dropping appeals. Proponents like Liz Burdock, CEO of the Oceantic Network, called bipartisan permitting reform the next critical step to enable more wind development and avoid delays for manufacturers and workers.
