DELMARVA - President-Elect Donald Trump has tasked a New Jersey congressman with drafting an executive order that could temporarily stop offshore wind projects from Rhode Island to Virginia, the Associated Press reports.
According to the AP, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), an outspoken critic of offshore wind, spoke with the incoming president in December regarding his campaign promise to end offshore wind expansion.
“I said ‘Mr. President, we need to move on this.’ He said, ‘Yeah, we definitely do. I agree. I’m against them,’ ” Van Drew told the AP. “He said, ‘Write an executive order, get it to my people.’”
Trump previously vowed to dismantle the offshore wind industry on his first day in office.
The AP reports Van Drew emailed a draft order to halt offshore wind projects from Rhode Island to Virginia for six months to Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick for Secretary of the Interior. The temporary halt would allow for Burgum to review how the permitting and leasing processes for offshore wind projects were conducted, processes that Van Drew says did not weigh the impact on fishing and tourism industries, marine life, or energy bills.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which is responsible for offshore wind development in federal waters, is part of the Interior Department.
The AP says Van Drew did not share his written executive order draft, saying it is merely a template for President-Elect Trump. Van Drew says he expects Trump to issue an executive order on offshore wind quickly, possibly on his first day in office. That order could lead to an eventual moratorium on offshore wind projects, according to Van Drew.
Van Drew’s claims come as Delmarva grapples with the offshore wind debate. Alternative energy company US Wind has won final approval from the Biden administration to construct an offshore wind farm including up to 114 turbines off the coasts of Sussex County, DE and Worcester County, MD. At the state level, both Delaware and Maryland have also approved the project, while both counties and some local communities have fought against US Wind’s efforts to bring offshore wind to Delmarva.
An executive order from the president could put the ongoing debate to an abrupt end, though it remains to be seen how US Wind will respond to any federal action.
This is a developing story. WBOC’s Kyle Orens will have more on Friday’s WBOC News at 6.
