The Trump Administration has canceled plans to use large areas of federal waters for new offshore wind development.

Oregon’s South Coast has had a long fight against the 2021 House Bill 3375, and against Representative David Brock Smith, who voted for the bill. HB 3375 established a plan for offshore wind energy development and set a goal of 3 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. Despite his vote, Smith continues to tell his constituents he opposed offshore wind development claiming the bill slowed down the process.

President Trump signed a temporary executive order in January 2025 halting offshore wind lease sales in federal waters. It paused approvals, permits, and loans for wind projects. The Interior Department issued directives to end preferential treatment for wind and solar facilities, labeling them as unreliable and foreign-controlled energy sources.

Oregon has turned its back on many of the President’s Executive Orders putting Oregon at risk for funding and partnerships that would benefit Oregonians. Oregon State University and the Pacific Marine Energy Center conducted a study on how government agencies and private organizations deal with public perception of potential offshore wind development. The Institutional Review Board at OSU reviewed and approved the research in the Coos Bay area.

The Federal government designated more than 3.5 million acres for wind energy areas, the offshore locations deemed most suitable for wind energy development. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is now rescinding all designated wind energy areas in federal water, announcing an end to setting aside large areas for “speculative wind development.”

BOEM said it was acting in accordance with Trump's action and an order by his interior secretary to end any preferential treatment toward wind and solar facilities, which were described as unreliable, foreign-controlled energy sources.

The Biden administration last year had announced a five-year schedule to lease federal offshore tracts for wind energy production. Attorney Generals from 17 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit challenging Trump's executive order halting wind energy leasing and permitting for wind energy projects. States involved in the coalition includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Washington, D.C. They say they’ve invested hundreds of millions of dollars collectively to develop wind energy and even more on upgrading transmission lines to bring wind energy to the electrical grid.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Oregon is fortunate for a strong opposition to not have offshore projects in progress on the 195,000 acres designated offshore of the southern Oregon coast.

In June 2025, a federal judge in Massachusetts expressed skepticism about the states’ request for a preliminary injunction, asking for more specificity on the harm caused and legal violations. The judge collapsed the injunction motion, and the case was set for a hearing on a potential dismissal.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2025-08-10 11:03:12

Last Update: 2025-08-10 16:18:41