Interior Department says five East Coast wind projects will be suspended following findings that turbine construction poses national security risks to U.S. radar systems.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Trump administration has ordered the suspension of leases for five offshore wind projects under construction along the U.S. East Coast after a federal review concluded the developments pose national security risks by interfering with radar systems, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said during an interview on Fox Business.
Speaking with Maria Bartiromo on Mornings with Maria, Burgum said the Interior Department has begun notifying the companies behind the projects that their leases are being suspended while the administration seeks potential mitigation measures.
“Well, today we’re sending notifications to the five large offshore wind projects that are under construction that their leases will be suspended due to national security concerns,” Burgum said. “During this time of suspension, we’ll work with the companies to try and find a mitigation. But we’ve completed the work President Trump has asked us to do. The Department of War has come back conclusively that the issues related to these large offshore wind programs have created radar interference that creates a genuine risk for the U.S., particularly related to where they are in proximity to our East Coast population centers.”
According to an Interior Department statement cited by Bloomberg, the projects affected by the suspensions include Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, and Empire Wind 1. The action represents the latest step by the Trump administration to block offshore wind development, which officials have criticized as costly, unreliable, and increasingly entangled in regulatory and legal disputes.
Shortly after the interview aired, Burgum underscored the administration’s position in a public statement posted on X, writing that one natural gas pipeline supplies as much energy as these five projects combined, adding that the president is restoring what he described as common-sense energy policy while prioritizing national security.
The lease suspensions place the projects’ construction timelines in uncertainty as federal officials work with developers to determine whether the radar interference issues can be resolved or whether the suspensions will become permanent.