Offshore Wind Energy 
[Published June 5, 2026]
This past month has continued to show a mix of strong progress and impactful setbacks. Despite the hurdles, we will continue to share the highs and lows as we navigate this uncertainty and continue to move forward. If you know someone who would benefit from these updates and insights, please invite them to Sign Up!
SPOTLIGHT:
Global Wind Day is less than two weeks away! On June 15, celebrate wind energy in all forms with renewable energy advocates across the world.
Global Wind Day is a worldwide event that occurs annually on June 15. The initiative began in Europe as a day to discover the power of wind and the possibilities it holds to reduce pollution, protect wildlife, boost jobs, and support economic growth. At the National Wildlife Federation, we will be celebrating the responsible development of offshore wind energy from coast to coast in the U.S., and the major milestones U.S. offshore wind development has achieved in the past few months despite challenges.
Use our Global Wind Day Social Media & Partners Toolkit to spread the word and celebrate offshore wind energy this June 15. #GlobalWindDay
FEDERAL UPDATES:
A House appropriations subcommittee advanced an Interior Department spending bill that would impose new annual and inspection fees on offshore wind projects. These exorbitant new inspection fees for turbine arrays would amount to $72,800 per turbine, more than double the cost of inspecting offshore oil infrastructure.
The House Natural Resources Committee questioned Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on May 13 over the Administration’s imposition of hurdles to a variety of renewable energy development, including efforts to halt offshore wind through lease buybacks and permitting barriers. Interior Secretary Burgum defended the actions, citing cost, reliability, and national security concerns.
In March, the Administration announced an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that could weaken existing vessel speed restrictions designed to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale from vessel strikes. The 2008 Vessel Speed Reduction Rule applies a 10-knot speed restriction to all vessels 65 ft or larger across all industries in specific areas or dynamically when whales are spotted. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sought public input on replacing or modifying current speed limits with alternative management approaches and emerging detection technologies. However, leading scientists indicate that these technologies have not yet been demonstrated to provide protections as reliable or effective as mandatory vessel speed limits, which remain the most proven tool for reducing whale collisions. NWF submitted a public comment on this proposed rulemaking.
Last month, the Trump Administration merged offshore energy regulators into a new entity, the Marine Minerals Administration. This decision reunifies two offices that had been split after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in an effort to increase environmental oversight of the energy industry and prevent future disasters. Conservation organizations have raised concerns that the restructuring could weaken independent oversight and accountability for offshore energy development.
LITIGATION
On June 2nd New York and six other Northeastern states filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its decision to cancel a major offshore wind lease off the coast of New York and reimburse developer TotalEnergies hundreds of millions of dollars to abandon the project. The states argue the deal was unlawful, bypassed required federal procedures, and improperly used taxpayer funds intended for legal settlements. The canceled Attentive Energy project was expected to provide enough clean electricity for roughly 1 million homes and support state clean energy and climate goals. The lawsuit seeks to overturn the lease cancellation and block further implementation of the agreement. State leaders contend the Administration is favoring fossil fuel development over renewable energy, while the Administration maintains the decision protects energy affordability and national interests.
In NY et. al. v. Trump, the federal government filed another motion for an extension to their briefing deadline.
And, in Renew NE et. al. v. DOI et. al, on May 20, the federal government filed a motion for relief from, or clarification of, the preliminary injunction order issued by Judge Denise J. Casper, which enjoined the Department of Interior and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from implementing five challenged anti-renewables agency actions against members of the plaintiff organizations. Plaintiffs must file a response by June 3. Save Long Beach Island sued the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) over North Atlantic right whale protections, and for failing to act on a petition seeking Endangered Species Act (ESA) critical habitat protections for the North Atlantic right whale’s migratory corridor. The plaintiffs argue that stronger habitat protections are needed to safeguard the species and contend that offshore wind development within the corridor could adversely affect whale migration. In late April, a federal court dismissed with prejudice a separate lawsuit brought by Save Long Beach Island seeking to stop the Atlantic Shores offwind project based on alleged impacts from construction and operational noise. The ruling represented another setback for opponents attempting to halt offshore wind projects through litigation.
STATE AND REGIONAL UPDATES:
NORTHEAST (CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI)
On May 27, National Wildlife Federation took a group of 160 offshore wind researchers, academics, and community advocates on a tour of the South Fork Wind farm. “Seeing real turbines and how they operate under actual site conditions was inspiring and provided valuable insight beyond what can be learned from simulations alone,” said Nazila Emamdoost, a participant from University of Massachusetts Amherst. “Observing real-world performance, operational challenges, and design considerations helped bridge the gap between theory and practice.”
Project Director of the Clean Energy States Alliance, Sam Schacht highlighted recent milestones for Northeast offshore wind projects in Windtech International. Schacht points to the contributions of Revolution Wind–which reached first power in March–and Vineyard Wind–which completed construction in April–to grid reliability, price stability, and winter performance. If the two projects operate at the same capacity factor as South Fork Wind performed at last winter, Vineyard and Revolution could make up almost 6% of New England’s total electricity supply during colder months in 2027.
A new University of Rhode Island study on community responses to offshore wind in areas including New London, Connecticut found that residents are generally supportive of offshore wind but have concerns about the long-term stability of the industry and availability of local offshore wind jobs in the future. The study was cut short after federal funding was pulled last year.
In Massachusetts, coastal communities promised the economic benefits from the development of offshore wind are reeling from the impacts of withdrawn federal grants and investments. The Salem community is contending with the loss of $34 million in federal grant money after the Department of Transportation withdrew the investments last August as offshore wind port development stalled. Local organizations and civic groups, including the Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE), had developed a community benefits agreement with Crowley Wind Services resulting in hiring targets for local and marginalized residents, scholarships in offshore wind or marine-related careers, funding for additional personnel to help with maritime terminal operations, and more than $3.5 million for Salem public schools and educational programs.
In another coastal Massachusetts town, delays have left the town of New Bedford without the economic boon that local offshore wind infrastructure had promised. After nearly a decade spent building the first major offshore wind project in the U.S. and more than $1 billion in investments to the local port, the path towards a more permanent industry that “could add to economic ballast to a community where fortunes rise and fall with the price of scallops” has all but vanished, writes Politico reporter Ben Storrow.
The New York State Common Retirement Fund is considering divesting from TotalEnergies after the company’s deal to accept a $1 billion from the Trump Administration to withdraw from its offshore wind leases in the U.S. The Fund currently owns a $1.6 million stake in the company.
Also from New York, the State is asking a federal district court for permission to intervene in a lawsuit aimed at overturning the approvals of Sunrise Wind, from the Department of Interior. The project, which is expected to provide first power to New York’s electrical grid this year, will power 600,000 homes in the state.
MID-ATLANTIC (DE, MD, NC, VA)
The Delaware Supreme Court has upheld a state law allowing for the construction of an electrical substation tied to US Wind—an offshore wind project that will provide power to Maryland and Delaware, rejecting the legal challenges from Sussex County and the Town of Fenwick Island. This ruling upholds legislation passed in 2025 to allow the state to authorize conditional use permits for certain electrical infrastructure.
In Virginia, Dominion Energy has proposed a slight decrease in offshore wind cost on monthly bills. In 2022 the State Corporation Commission (SCC, or the entity responsible for utility regulation in Virginia) set a cap on how much of the cost of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) Project could be passed along to ratepayers. Now, the company wants to change how they are splitting the cost among residential, industrial, and commercial customers. The new methodology would mean a 90-cent decrease per month for the average residential customer. The SCC supports the change.
Energy companies NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy announced a merger, creating the world’s largest regulated electric utility business. With NextEra Energy at the helm, experts say it is not entirely clear what this acquisition will mean for Virginians and Dominion’s offshore wind ambitions. Dominion will finish construction on CVOW this year and has remained committed to the emerging offshore wind industry on the East Coast despite challenges from the Administration with strong support from Virginia leaders, but NextEra has expressed skepticism on offshore wind, leaving concerns for other offshore wind areas already leased by Dominion.
GULF OF MEXICO (LA, TX)
In a recent op-ed, Dr. Michael Webber from the University of Texas at Austin explained that Texas is particularly suited to host offshore wind projects off its coast due to the state’s “robust port economy and a workforce with offshore energy development expertise” from other energy industries. “Ultimately offshore wind diversifies our energy mix, helps ensure resource adequacy, lets us expand and harden our grid, reduces emissions, serves the oil and gas industry’s need for power and desire to export liquefied gas, helps our allies around the world, and creates a lot of jobs,” writes Webber. “Texas is uniquely positioned to make this a reality.”
We are talking about offshore wind in Texas this June! Join the National Wildlife Federation and our partners in Galveston for a special in-person screening of our offshore wind short film Coast to Coast followed by a panel discussion with Audubon Texas, Galveston Bay Foundation, and Healthy Gulf on June 7. At a virtual event on June 9, we explore how Texas can protect ocean habitats and wildlife while continuing to grow clean, reliable, affordable energy.
PACIFIC (CA, HI, OR, WA)
In Oregon, through participation in the Pacific Marine Energy Center, the University of Oregon has completed public opinion surveys regarding the communities’ thoughts on offshore wind Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) for the Southern Oregon communities of Coos Bay and Brookings. The surveys show strong opposition to offshore wind on the South Coast of Oregon, though residents also expressed a lot of uncertainty in their position on the issue. Overall, CBAs are perceived as an important and necessary tool for communities.
The Oregon Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap process is nearing completion. The public comment period closed in April, and the Roadmap Roundtable met in late May to discuss and assess these comments. An updated Roadmap draft is likely to come out in mid-June leading to the final Roadmap meeting before the document is finalized and delivered to the Oregon State legislature, likely in late July. The goal for the Roadmap is to guide Oregon legislators on future offshore wind advancements.
The California Energy Commission launched an investigation into the Administration’s agreement to pay developers to abandon the proposed Golden State Wind project. State regulators issued subpoenas seeking information about the federal payout. The California Attorney General has indicated litigation may follow. Local offshore wind advocates are urging state decision makers to stay the course on offshore wind.
California officials and industry leaders reaffirmed the state’s plans to develop 25 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2045 at the Pacific Offshore Wind Summit in Long Beach, including funding for ports and related infrastructure under Proposition 4.
According to a new report released this month, an offshore wind maintenance and operations port would be feasible in San Luis Obispo Bay, either at Cal Poly Pier or a hybrid option between Cal Poly and Harford Piers. The report states that an operations port in Morro Bay would pose more significant environmental and social impacts than in San Luis Obispo. With the study complete, the Port San Luis Harbor Commission will decide whether to accept a California Energy Commission $3 million grant to mature the design. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process for port development in the Humboldt Bay area has restarted. In March, the Humboldt Bay Harbor District released an updated timeline and project schedule for the offshore wind project, and declared the CEQA Draft Environmental Impact Review (DEIR) must be completed and delivered to the board by March 2027. Community organizations and environmental groups in the area are beginning to organize public education around the CEQA process.
RESOURCES:
Upcoming
Coast to Coast: The Need for Responsible Offshore Wind Energy
Galveston, Texas | Sunday, June 7 | 3:30 – 5:45pm CDT | Register
Please join the National Wildlife Federation and our partners for a special screening of our offshore wind short film Coast to Coast followed by a panel discussion with Audubon Texas, Galveston Bay Foundation, and Healthy Gulf. Come learn about offshore wind energy and celebrate the power and potential of this resource to build a healthier, more resilient future for Texas!
Offshore Wind in Texas: Future Power to Protect People and Wildlife
Tuesday, June 9 | 6:00-7:00 pm CDT | Register
Join the National Wildlife Federation as we explore how Texas can protect ocean habitats and wildlife while continuing to grow clean, reliable, affordable energy.
Celebrate Global Wind Day
Wednesday, June 10th at 7pm EST | Register
Join the National Wildlife Federation’s Offshore Wind Energy Program and our partners to celebrate the progress we’ve made building offshore wind responsibly, despite the serious political headwinds. You’ll hear from experts about the successful projects operating in the Northeast, the economic benefits and opportunities for good paying jobs in the American-made supply chain, and why offshore wind is so important for protecting wildlife and communities from the threats of climate change.
Offshore Wind in NJ Webinar – Challenges, Regional Successes, and What’s Next
Tuesday, June 16 | 7:00 – 8:00 PM EST | Register
Join New Jersey Wind Works this Global Wind Day for an engaging educational webinar that breaks down where offshore wind stands in New Jersey today, what’s next, and why it matters for our economy, environment, and affordable energy future. The webinar will wrap up with practical ways you can take action to support offshore wind and clean energy in New Jersey, including bringing a clean energy resolution to your town.
Watt’s Offshore? Harnessing Wind Power In Texas
Thursday, July 16 | 6:30-7:30 pm CDT | Register
Join the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter and National Wildlife Federation for a webinar to hear how your voice and your organizing can play a critical role in making sure wind energy – both onshore and offshore – is a core part of Texas’ energy mix for years to come.