We’ve received another sign that there is still hope for a revocation of the Gulf of Maine Offshore Wind project. Development of an offshore wind farm south of Nantucket had been halted, thanks to a ruling by a federal judge.
A federal judge has now ruled that the Trump administration may proceed with revoking federal permits for the project.
The Trump administration signaled its intent to reconsider the permit in September, claiming that the Environmental Impact Statement for the project may have “understated or obfuscated impacts” that would possibly result in noncompliance with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.
District Court for the District of Columbia judge Tanya Chutkan, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, ruled in favor of the White House Tuesday, saying that the project developers would not suffer from “immediate and significant hardship” if the administration proceeded with the reconsideration.
The decision effectively allows the administration to strip the project of its federal approval, blocking it from being built under President Donald Trump’s second term.
The reasoning behind the nod is one we’ve shared before that applies to the lease sales for Gulf of Maine Wind. The party of so-called environmental protection ignored it to fast-track as many projects as they could in the event that Trump won the 2024 elections.
Nantucket had also sued BOEM in an effort to scupper the project, claiming that “The town accused the agency of failing to comply with environmental and historical preservation laws when it issued the permit.”
For those with short memories or internet attention spans, the 2024 beach season on the tiny island was ruined as turbine bits, fiberclass, and other material washed ashore from a damaged offshore turbine. [Related: Nantucket’s Ongoing Offshore Wind Folly, Microplastics, Foam, Fiberglass, and Bisphenol A]
New Hampshire residents will understand when Nantucket resident Pat McEvoy says the Feds jammed green energy (offshore wind) down their throats and that “We were not represented in this process.” Development in the Gulf of Maine has been fast-tracked thanks to State Senator David “This will look good on my resume” Watters. Dead whales didn’t stop it. Public opposition didn’t stop it. The high cost of projects or the rising electricity rates they produce did not get in the way. Developers bailing on offshore projects up and down the Atlantic coast were no deterrent. Nor are piles of data on how NOT green it is. I wonder if Nantucket can get that job done.
In the heat of summer, beaches on the tiny island were closed after an offshore turbine blade failed, dropping foam and fiberglass into the sea, which continued to drift up onto shore. It has been over a month, and the problem persists.
We’ve documented the high-speed railroading of Gulf of Maine Wind to leasing, and if you followed it, in real time, you know. The very thing for which Nantucket sued, and the Trump Administration halted all offshore development, is what happened. Corners were cut. Risks were ignored. Environmental concerns took a back seat to ramming wind project approvals out like shit through a goose.
All year, we’ve seen signs of hope. This is the latest. SouthCoast Wind’s construction and operations plan was in its final stage before construction, and a judge ruled that the Feds could yank the permit, killing the project.
Here’s to hoping it happens to the Gulf of Maine project, too.
