Trump administration pauses offshore wind, citing the national security due to radar disruption

Classified reports have identified national security risks from offshore wind. The Department of the Interior announced Monday it’s pausing offshore wind leases for all large offshore wind projects currently under construction due to these risks. 

“Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers. The Trump administration will always prioritize the security of the American people,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. 

The pause will stop construction on five projects, including Vineyard Wind, which had a blade failure in the summer of 2024. The incident scattered debris across the beaches of Nantucket and others in New York and New England, souring public support for the industry. 

The Department of War, according to the announcement, recently completed the classified reports. The pause will give federal agencies time to work with the developers who hold the leases on how these vulnerabilities may be mitigated. 

Multiple reports from various federal agencies over the past few yeas have found that the clutter from offshore wind blades and turbines causes interference to radar. This lowers the ability of radar to identify targets on the water, and it creates false targets around the projects. 

A 2024 Department of Energy report found that a radar’s threshold for false alarm detection can be increased to reduce some clutter, but an increased detection threshold could cause the radar to “miss actual targets.”

ACK 4 Whales, a Nantucket-based nonprofit opposed to offshore wind development, applauded President Donald Trump for the announcement. 

"Our organization has been primarily focused upon the harm these projects inflict upon our ocean and upon animals like the North Atlantic Right Whale. However, there are many other negative impacts from these projects as well. We have long cited the very real threat from radar interference caused by these enormous offshore wind turbines. Not only does this pose a danger to fishermen and others on the water, but this obviously also poses a massive national security threat. It is very satisfying that this threat is finally being recognized and acted upon," Val Oliver, president of ACK 4 Whales, said in a statement. 

The pause will also halt construction on Empire Wind off the coast of Long Island for as long as the pause is in place. The Trump administration had paused construction of the 54-turbine project, only to reverse course a month later. 

Monday’s pause will also impact Revolutionary Wind, Sunrise Wind and the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind projects.