US Interior secretary orders offshore wind project shut down

It's notable that this hold comes despite Trump's executive order explicitly stating, "Nothing in this withdrawal [of future leasing] affects rights under existing leases in the withdrawn areas."

GAO undercuts the message

The order alleged there were "various alleged legal deficiencies underlying the Federal Government’s leasing and permitting of onshore and offshore wind projects, the consequences of which may lead to grave harm." In response to those allegations, the Government Accountability Office began an evaluation of the Department of the Interior's activities in overseeing offshore wind development. The results of that were made public on Monday.

And the report only found minor issues. Its primary recommendations are that Interior improve its consultations with leaders of tribal communities that may be impacted by wind development and boost "incorporation of Indigenous knowledge." The GAO also thinks that Interior should improve its methods of getting input from the fishing industry. The report also acknowledges that there are uncertainties about everything from invasive species to the turbines' effect on navigational radar but says these will vary based on a wind farm's site, size, and other features, and we'll only have a clearer picture once we have built more of them.

Notably, it says that wind farm development has had no effect on the local whale population, a popular Republican criticism of offshore wind.

Trump's animosity toward wind power has a long history, so it's unlikely that this largely positive report will do much to get the hold on leasing lifted. In reality, however, the long-term uncertainty about offshore wind in the US will probably block new developments until the end of Trump's time in office. Offshore wind companies have budgeted based on tax incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, and the administration has suggested they may revoke those in future budgets. And the move by Burgum means that, even if a company clears all the leasing and improvement hurdles, the government may shut down a project for seemingly arbitrary reasons.