Ocasio-Cortez, Markey Ask Trump Admin To Explain Paying TotalEnergies USD 1 Billion ‘In Taxpayer Money’ To Drop Offshore Wind Projects
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
US lawmakers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ed Markey have sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum on the plan by the Trump administration to pay nearly USD 1 billion to TotalEnergies to cancel offshore wind projects off the US East Coast, calling on the administration to stop the payment and explain the legal basis and funding source for the proposed transfer.
These four paragraphs add detail to the story.
As reported recently, the US government’s agreement with TotalEnergies concerns the company’s exit from offshore wind development in the country by relinquishing leases for projects off New York/New Jersey and North Carolina, for which the administration intends to pay approximately USD 928 million.
The agreement also stipulates that TotalEnergies would redirect that money to oil & gas projects in the US. The company, in a press release issued after signing the agreement with the government, indicated that it would invest proceeds from the payment into a liquefied natural gas export facility in Texas and other oil and gas activities in the US that will support both domestic supply and the demand in Europe.
As reported recently, the US government’s agreement with TotalEnergies concerns the company’s exit from offshore wind development in the country by relinquishing leases for projects off New York/New Jersey and North Carolina, for which the administration intends to pay approximately USD 928 million.
The agreement also stipulates that TotalEnergies would redirect that money to oil & gas projects in the US. The company, in a press release issued after signing the agreement with the government, indicated that it would invest proceeds from the payment into a liquefied natural gas export facility in Texas and other oil and gas activities in the US that will support both domestic supply and the demand in Europe.
Trump may have got what he wanted and stopped development of wind farms, but at what cost to US taxpayers?
Out of curiosity, I asked Google AI, “Which LNG Terminal In Texas Have TotalEnergies Agreed To Develop”, And Received This Answer.
TotalEnergies has agreed to develop and invest in the Rio Grande LNG (RGLNG) project located in South Texas.
Key details regarding TotalEnergies’ involvement include:
Partnership: In June 2023, TotalEnergies signed a framework agreement with NextDecade Corporation to participate in the development of the Rio Grande LNG project.
Ownership and Phase 1: TotalEnergies holds a 16.67% stake in the first phase of the project, which includes three liquefaction trains with an annual capacity of 17.5 million tons per annum (Mtpa).
Offtake Agreement: TotalEnergies has agreed to purchase 5.4 million tons per annum (Mtpa) of LNG from Phase 1 for 20 years.
Expansion (Train 4): As of September 2025, TotalEnergies has reached a Final Investment Decision (FID) for a 10% stake in the joint venture developing Train 4 of the Rio Grande LNG facility.
NextDecade Stake: TotalEnergies also acquired a 17.5% stake in NextDecade Corporation, the developer of the project.
The Rio Grande LNG project is located in Brownsville, Texas, and is expected to contribute to TotalEnergies’ goal of expanding its U.S. LNG export capacity to 15 million tons annually by 2030.
I shall be watching this project. Especially, as several new techniques have come forward in the last few months.
Trump Administration’s Legal Setbacks Are Good News For Offshore Wind — And The Grid
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Tech Crunch.
These two paragraphs give more details.
The Trump administration suffered a series of legal setbacks this week after judges allowed work to restart on several offshore wind farms under construction on the East Coast.
The Department of the Interior had ordered a stop to five projects totaling 6 gigawatts of generating capacity in December, citing national security concerns. The judicial orders will allow three projects to resume construction: Revolution Wind off Rhode Island, Empire Wind off New York, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind off — you guessed it — Virginia.
The developers each filed lawsuits shortly after the Trump administration issued the stop work order, which had been effective for 90 days.
Trump is now learning you don’t win them all.
I would suggest that you read the full article, as there is a lot of good stuff there.
This is the concluding paragraph.
he potential is even bigger when viewed on a national scale. Offshore wind could generate 13,500 terawatt-hours of electricity per year, which is three times more than the U.S. currently consumes.
If the US, were to use all the fossil fuels, that Trump would like, there would be no point in buying Greenland as the Trump proportion of the resulting Global Warming would probably melt the country.
New York Attorney General Files Lawsuits Against Trump Admin’s Stop-Work Orders For Empire Wind, Sunrise Wind
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James has filed two lawsuits against what the AG says is “the Trump administration’s unlawful attempt to halt construction” on Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind, two large-scale offshore wind projects being built in the US federal waters off New York.
These three paragraphs add more detail.
In the lawsuits, filed simultaneously for the two projects in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on 9 January, Attorney General James argues that the stop-work orders fail to explain the federal government’s change in position and to provide a genuine justification for the suspension. This makes the orders “arbitrary and capricious, in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act”, says the New York AG, whose lawsuit is asking the court to declare the stop-work orders unlawful and block their enforcement.
Pointing out that the two offshore wind farms are expected to power more than one million New York homes, the Attorney General says pausing them could threaten the state’s economy and energy grid, as well as the jobs created by the projects, which currently employ thousands of workers and have already invested billions of US dollars.
Furthermore, the New York AG emphasised that both Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind had undergone more than a decade of extensive review by federal, state, and local authorities, including environmental impact analysis, public comment periods, and coordination with numerous federal agencies, including the US Department of Defense.
I’m no lawyer, but I do think that the New York Attorney General has a good case.
The Anonymous Widower 