Transportation department joins Trump’s anti-offshore wind fray
President’s latest Friday surprise will see hundreds of millions for port redevelopment clawed back as war on wind rages
Trump’s Department of Transportation (DoT) joined its federal brethren in hammering the offshore wind sector by pulling nearly $700m in funding aimed at port upgrades.
DoT’s announced today it was withdrawing $679m in grants for “12 doomed offshore wind [port] projects” made by the former Joe Biden administration, according to a statement.
“Wasteful, wind projects are using resources that could otherwise go towards revitalising America’s maritime industry,” said Transportation secretary Sean Duffy.
Revolution’s stop shakes what little confidence the industry had that the five projects currently in offshore installation would likely continue.
With the port funding pull, DoT now joins other federal departments in an all-out assault against offshore wind.
“We're all working together on this issue,” Kennedy said.
California targeted
The largest grant withdrawn is some $427m to redevelop the Port of Humboldt Bay in Northern California into the West Coast’s premier floating wind terminal.
“The Harbor District is currently working with the State and other partners to determine our next steps,” said Chris Mikkelsen, executive director of the port. “We have every intention of continuing the project,” he added.
California voters recently approved some $475m for offshore wind upgrades as part of a major climate bond initiative.
The Maritime Administration (MARAD) under DoT further withdrew six projects and terminated another five made under the Port Infrastructure Development Programme.
US Wind’s Sparrows Point Steel Marshalling Port in Maryland was stripped of $47m, while the Arthur Kill Terminal in Staten Island, New York, lost $48m.
US Wind faces summary judgement in a lawsuit next week that may see its 1.7GW offshore wind array’s permits likewise pulled.
“Sparrows Point Steel will continue to move forward,” said Nancy Sopko, vice president for communications for US Wind.
Job losses
Massachusetts’ Salem Harbour redevelopment lost $34m in funding.
“By cancelling this funding, 800 construction workers will lose their jobs, and jobs that would’ve been created in the future won’t happen,” said Massachusetts governor Maura Healey.
“There is nothing wasteful about this project,” she said, adding: “The real waste here is the Trump Administration canceling tens of millions of dollars for a project that is already underway to increase our energy supply and support hundreds of workers.”
Industry group Oceantic Network said that offshore wind has driven more than $5bn towards US port redevelopment along the East Coast to the Gulf of Mexico region.
“The Trump administration is weakening our country’s national security and destroying good-paying jobs by pulling critical funding designed to update our aging maritime infrastructure,” said CEO Liz Burdock.
“By selectively limiting infrastructure investments and removing mandated agreements in energy and shipyards, the administration is stalling essential development that delivers on shared priorities of national security and energy dominance, and signals to the investment community the US is not safe.”
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