US targets 2GW offshore wind approvals for cancellation

The United States government, led by the Trump administration, has targeted the US Wind Maryland offshore wind project for cancellation by filing a motion in the Maryland district courts aimed at rescinding any permits and approval that have been granted to US Wind. The company received approval from the previous administration to build the planned 2GW wind farm off the coast of Maryland. The motion states that the federal government is not aiming to kill the project, but wants more time to assess the impact the project might pose to the local environment.

The case was brought forward by the Mayor and City Council of Ocean City

The evidence would suggest the Mayor and the local City Council in Ocean City, Maryland, are not aiming to rock the boat by opposing the new directive set out by the Trump administration.

The case’s defendants are the DOI, BOEM, and NMF The filing states that the defendants rushed the approval of the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for US Wind’s 1.7 GW offshore wind farm in Maryland.

US Wind plans to challenge the motion submitted to the US District Court in Maryland

That would be the plan laid out by the VP of US Wind. She states that the project is being unfairly targeted by the Trump administration and plans to challenge the motion in court.

“US Wind remains committed to building our 1,700 MW offshore wind project, one of the largest new electricity projects in the entire region. After many years of analysis, several federal agencies issued final permits to the project. We intend to vigorously defend those permits in federal court, and we are confident that the court will uphold their validity and prevent any adverse action against them.” – Nancy Sopko, US Wind VP of External Affairs

The Trump administration is doing all it can to roll back the progress in the wind power sector

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has stated it plans to withdraw the approval for the wind farm in Maryland to “revise its decision under a different interpretation of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA).”

That does not mean the project is dead, but it does point to the already clear and transparent stance the current administration has taken towards the Maryland project. At an event in Italy, the US DOI Secretary Doug Burgum stated that he believes offshore wind is “too expensive and not reliable enough”.

In August 2025, the federal government withdrew $679 million of funding aimed at twelve offshore wind-related port upgrade projects, which is even more evidence of the Trump administration’s view on wind power. Despite the current administration’s perception, wind power has come a long way.

“This American energy resource is a generational opportunity that nearly 70% of Marylanders support. Families can’t afford to pick and choose which types of domestic energy come online to meet rising demand and costs—we need it all. Let’s make sure every community benefits by advancing a shovel-ready project set to power 600,000 Maryland homes with reliable, affordable energy” – Oceantic Network’s CEO Liz Burdock

Can a common ground be found and a resolution found in the American wind sector saga

Despite the innovation taking place at the moment in the wind power sector, the Trump administration is remaining as defiant as a toddler at bedtime. Its disapproval of the Maryland wind power project is evident, but the lack of logical reasoning points to a much more serious issue. Trump simply does not approve of wind power, for whatever reason. The US energy sector is heavily reliant on the renewable energy sector to provide clean and safe energy for the expected growth taking place all around the world.