Trump orders suspension of recent offshore wind energy leasing

(Reuters) -President Donald Trump suspended new federal offshore wind leasing pending an environmental and financial assessment, saying wind mills are ugly, costly and hurt wildlife.

“We’re not going to do the wind factor. Massive, ugly wind mills. They destroy your neighborhood,” he stated.

With out offering proof, he stated offshore wind tasks have been behind a rise in whale deaths off the U.S. East Coast in recent times.

He added: “They’re the most costly type of vitality that you would be able to have, by far. They usually kill your birds and so they destroy your lovely landscapes.”

A White Home press launch stated Trump issued an government motion suspending offshore wind leasing from all areas of the U.S. outer continental shelf pending an environmental and financial assessment.

The order will not be anticipated to impression current U.S. offshore wind tasks being superior by firms together with Orsted (CSE:ORSTED), Avangrid (NYSE:AGR), Copenhagen Infrastructure Companions, and Dominion.

The transfer stirred concern amongst wind energy representatives, who stated Trump’s place jarred with Trump’s promise to maximise nationwide vitality output.

“A nationwide vitality emergency requires us to unleash all obligatory sources of American vitality – together with offshore wind,” stated Hillary Vivid, government director of offshore wind advocacy group Flip Ahead.

Former U.S. President Joe Biden noticed wind energy as an important a part of his technique to decarbonize the U.S. energy sector to struggle local weather change and his authorities held a number of auctions aimed toward creating massive new tasks.

Trump’s opposition to wind energy represents an about-face from his first time period, when his administration had additionally sought to encourage offshore wind growth.

The suspension got here as Trump additionally laid out a sweeping plan to maximise U.S. oil and gasoline manufacturing whereas additionally withdrawing the U.S. from the 2015 Paris local weather pact aimed toward preventing world warming.