Press Release: 3/2/2026
Offshore Wind Picks Up
March 1, 2026
During the recent gubernatorial election in New Jersey, the debate over offshore wind energy became almost a whisper owing to fears it would upset chances for a Democratic victory—so politicized had the fight for clean energy become.
Even now, it’s as though proponents of this plentiful source of clean energy are still treating it as some kind of taboo word, like Voldemort in Harry Potter.
Yet, up and down the East Coast, there has been a fresh breeze blowing. In recent months, there have been 5 court rulings against Trump administration attempts to shut down the offshore wind industry. Work has now been allowed to proceed on Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind off New York, Revolution Wind off Rhode Island, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind off Virginia, and Vineyard Wind off Massachusetts.
In the most recent decision, as of this writing, Judge Royce Lamberth of the US District Court for the District of Columbia said he found no merit in Department of the Interior claims that the Sunrise Wind project constituted a national security threat. He also found that the administration’s interference had caused the developers of Sunrise Wind “irreparable harm.”
Multiply that irreparable harm across all of the wind projects that have been delayed or cancelled because of the willful blindness of this administration, and you get quite a tally. In New Jersey, we would like to see any of our multiple offshore wind projects restored to active status (Graphic).
Last year, things were looking so dismal that the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) cancelled plans for a fourth offshore wind solicitation auction. The political and economic environment just wouldn’t support it, said Christine Guhl-Sadovy, president of the BPU.
“The board concluded that an award in New Jersey’s fourth offshore wind solicitation, despite the manifold benefits the industry offers to the state, would not be a responsible decision at this time,” she wrote.
That was then, and this is now. With the Trump administration 0–5 on recent offshore wind decisions, things may be looking up for New Jersey.
Why do we need offshore wind? Well, low emissions and clean air, to name a couple things. President Trump’s desire to bring coal plants back to life, like he is some sort of Victor Frankenstein, should make us all very worried.
Propagandists would have us believe that wind energy is more expensive than fossil fuel. While we were waiting for the proof of that pudding, energy prices in New Jersey went up 20% last year anyway.
Now, people want to build more nuclear power plants in New Jersey. I wonder if local offshore wind opponents, the people inside the Trojan horse in New Jersey, will make as big a fuss over nuclear power as they did over offshore wind. Let’s just remember Fukushima and Chernobyl.
Meanwhile, while our backs were turned, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under Trump managed to reissue a permit for the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) fracked gas pipeline across New Jersey into Raritan Bay. This reissuance circumvents having to perform an updated environmental review and makes it harder for New Jersey to fight this time around.
In Round 2 of this struggle, outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy waved the white flag on this pipeline and allowed it to proceed.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul was thought to have a stronger legal basis for putting up a NESE fight, but it is believed the utility and business lobby in New York found a way to gain her blessing for the project, too.
It has been speculated that President Trump cut one of his infamous deals with Hochul, agreeing to relax his opposition to Empire Wind in exchange for NESE. If he did, he later reneged on that agreement. All that is now moot, though. If the latest rulings hold, New York will get Empire Wind after all.
Stay tuned. More to come.