Did Trump just cancel offshore wind? Some projects off Mass. coast may be dead in the water.

Making sense of the day one executive order that could change the energy game in New England

The finish line was right there. After three years of clearing regulatory hoops, SouthCoast Wind got its last major federal permit to build a wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard on Friday, a parting gift from the Biden administration.

The problem for SouthCoast Wind, however, is it still needs several smaller approvals from the federal government before beginning construction on as many as 147 wind turbines that promise enough clean energy for 1 million homes in Massachusetts and Rhode Island by the end of the decade.

And then on Monday, the finish line no longer seemed so near, when newly sworn-in President Trump issued his day one executive order to pause federal approval of all offshore wind leases and permits.

Now, SouthCoast Wind -- like so many other offshore wind projects up and down the East Coast -- is fixed in place by uncertainty, stuck just shy of the green light.

More than a decade after Massachusetts leaders initiated a transition to clean energy that hinger on hundreds of turbines spinning off the coasts of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, Trump's early actions have thrown that transition into turmoil. The potential costs, in terms of economic investment, jobs and risk to the climate from the continued reliance on fossil fuels, are massive.

The order temporarily withdraws all federal waters from consideration for offshore wind leasing, and pauses leasing, permits, and loans for offshore wind onshore wind projects pending a review. The order does not immediately affect projects that have been fully permitted, though it calls for a comprehensive review of existing leases to see if they should be amended or terminated. It makes good on a campaign promise to literally stop an entire industry segment in its tracks, while seemingly contradicting a separate “National Energy Emergency” executive order aimed at unleashing American energy production.

If this isn’t overturned by either legislative action or by court cases, then it certainly means a significant delay in the deployment of the offshore wind power that we need,” said Larry Chretien , executive director of the Clean Energy Consumers Alliance.

Some existing offshore wind farms, such as a second one off Marth’s Vineyard known as Vineyard Wind would build 62 turbines that would provide enough energy to power 400,000 homes.

Others, though may be dead in the water.

The order threatens to “strand $25 billion already flowing into new ports, vessels, and manufacturing centers, and curtail future investments across our country,” said Liz Burdock, chief executive of Oceantic Network, and offshore wind advocacy group.

Not to mention, jobs. Governor Maura Healey said Tuesday that she’s “very concerned” by Trump’s posture toward the wind industry, warming that jobs in red and blue states alike could be affected. “It’s jobs in Louisiana, in Georgia, in Virginia, in Wisconsin, in Michigan,” Healey said.

In Massachusetts, the offshore wind industry in projected to increase from 272 jobs in 2022 to nearly 4,000 jobs in 2035, according to a Massachusetts Clean Energy Center report.

Existing offshore wind leases are safe, for now. But those, too, will be reviewed under the executive order, and the Trump administration could attempt to undo those at a later date. Taking a lease back that has already been issued would likely introduce thorny legal questions, and is “easier said than done,” said Kate Sinding Daly of the Conservation Law Foundation.

Existing leases are a “vested interest, and there’d be pretty significant compensation associated with that,” she said.

The executive order did not come as a surprise. Throughout 2024, as Trump stumped across the country, he issued a two sided edict for energy during his next administration – one that would bring a renaissance for oil and gas, and land a killing blow to offshore wind.

As the Biden administration sought to shore up the industry in its final days, federal regulators also lifted a suspension order imposed on Vineyard Wind after one of its towers failed this summer.

There have been signs of trouble in offshore wind for years. Economic turmoil spurred by Russia’s war spiked costs for offshore wind developments, leading to the canceling and rebidding of contracts at higher rates.

Anti-wind voices – from national think tanks to small grassroots groups – have lodged lawsuits claiming that offshore wind kills whales (a claim not supported by scientific evidence that was nonetheless repeated Monday by Trump). Those suits have been fought by the Biden administration, but its unlikely the Trump administration will continue to defend against them.

On Tuesday, Amy DiSibio of the Nantucket antiwind group ACK for Whales, celebrated Trump’s order, calling it “an incredible first step in the right direction and a strong indication that he is taking this issue very seriously.”

And the accident at Vineyard Wind last summer, in which a turbine blade fell apart, resulted in debris washing up on the shores of Marth’s Vineyard, led uncertainty about the safety of certain equipment while providing fuel for local opposition.

Most recently, the Prysmian Group announced Friday that it was canceling its $300 million plan to build a cable manufacturing plant at Brayton Point in Somerset.

Looking ahead, seven of the major projects planned for New England have very different fates. Two – Vineyard Wind and Revolution Wind – are under construction and face little risk. Two others, New England Wind 1 and 2, have received their permits but still face a nominal risk because of Trump administration plans to roll back tax credits, which would affect developers’ bottom line, according to Amanda Barker of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance.

SouthCoast Wind is nearly done, just a few smaller permits shy of permitting. The two other projects, known as  Vineyard Wind 2 and Starboard Wind, are the most at-risk because they are not yet permitted.

Further up the coast, in the Gulf of Maine, projects in four areas that were selected in a lease sale in October are likely to be put on hold. Together, those projects have the potential to power more than 2.3 million homes with clean energy – if they ever get built.

Clean energy experts said that while Trump’s executive order is bad news for the industry, it’s not necessarily a death knell. Already, advocates are gearing up to push back in court, hoping to delay any significant changes or damage to the industry.

In two years, the shape of Congress could change if the House switches back to Democrats, said Chretien, of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance. “If we can delay or withstand these extreme executive orders, then I think we have a shot at trying to get things back on track after 2026.”