A federal judge ruled on Monday that construction can resume on Revolution Wind, a major offshore wind project serving Rhode Island and Connecticut—marking at least a temporary win for the offshore wind industry as President Donald Trump pushes to halt new wind development.
In U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Senior Judge Royce Lamberth said the government failed to justify why a full stop to construction was necessary while it reviews alleged national security concerns. He added that officials did not adequately explain their shift in position or why narrower steps wouldn’t address the issue.
Revolution Wind has already secured all required federal permits and is nearly 90% complete. The project is expected to deliver power to Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Trump has repeatedly said he does not want any new “windmills” built. This week, three major energy developers are challenging the administration’s Dec. 22 order that froze five large offshore wind projects along the East Coast, citing national security concerns.
The companies include Danish developer Orsted, Norway’s Equinor, and Dominion Energy Virginia. Orsted’s case, focused on Revolution Wind, was heard first. Following the ruling, Orsted said it expects to restart construction soon, arguing the project will provide affordable, reliable electricity for the Northeast.
The administration has not publicly detailed the specific national security concerns behind the freeze. On Friday, Trump criticized wind farms as “losers,” saying they lose money, damage landscapes, and harm birds.
“I’ve told my people we will not approve windmills,” Trump said. “Maybe we get forced to do something because some stupid person in the Biden administration agreed to do something years ago. We will not approve any windmills in this country.”
The Biden administration had sought to expand offshore wind as part of its climate strategy. Trump began reversing energy policy on his first day in office through executive orders aimed at boosting oil, gas, and coal. Separately, a federal judge ruled Monday that the administration acted illegally when it canceled $7.6 billion in clean energy grants for projects in states that supported Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
The administration’s pause affects the Vineyard Wind project under construction in Massachusetts, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, and two New York projects—Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind. New York’s attorney general filed suit on Friday over Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind. Rhode Island and Connecticut also asked the court to intervene to protect Revolution Wind.
“The law takes precedent over the political whims of one man, and we will continue to fight to make sure that remains the case,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement.
At Monday’s hearing, attorney Janice Schneider, representing Revolution Wind, said the stop-work order hit at a critical moment. With the project nearly 90% built and only weeks from supplying electricity to the grid, she said the delay is costing more than $1.4 million per day. She also noted that a specialized vessel has a limited window to install the remaining turbines before its contract ends at the site in February.
Schneider said the developers take national security issues seriously, but argued the government has not provided enough detail—either to experts with appropriate security clearances or through unclassified summaries—to allow meaningful review.
“We do think that this court should be very skeptical of the government’s true motives here,” Schneider said, pointing to Trump’s comments on Friday.
Department of Justice attorney Peter Torstensen argued that national security concerns must take priority and that risks described in classified materials outweigh any claimed irreparable harm to the developers.
Revolution Wind was previously paused on Aug. 22, when the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it had national security concerns. A month later, Judge Lamberth allowed work to resume, citing the potential for serious harm to the developers and the strength of their legal claims. Orsted is developing the project with Skyborn Renewables.
With four offshore wind projects still stalled, Hillary Bright, executive director of offshore wind advocacy group Turn Forward, said she remains optimistic the projects will succeed in court. She added that nearly complete offshore wind facilities could offer “immense benefits” for both energy supply and national security.
Equinor owns Empire Wind. Its subsidiary, Empire Wind LLC, warned the project faces “likely termination” if construction can’t restart by this Friday, citing a tightly timed schedule dependent on specialized vessels with limited availability. Equinor’s hearing is set for Wednesday.
“I would like to think that offshore wind is, and will continue to be, part of an all-of-the-above energy solution, which our country desperately needs,” said Molly Morris, Equinor’s senior vice president overseeing Empire Wind.
Dominion Energy Virginia, which is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, was the first to sue. The company is asking a judge to block the order, calling it “arbitrary and capricious” and unconstitutional. Its hearing is scheduled for Friday.
