New Jersey has joined seven other East Coast states in new legal challenges against the Trump administration over agreements that would cancel major offshore wind leases and redirect federal money toward other energy projects.
The lawsuits, filed Tuesday, involve offshore wind leases held by Invenergy and Bluepoint Wind. Under agreements reached with the federal government, the companies would give up offshore wind projects in exchange for as much as $1.4 billion, with funds connected to investments in natural gas, liquefied natural gas and other energy projects.
Several of the affected offshore wind areas are located in the New York Bight, the stretch of Atlantic Ocean between Long Island and New Jersey. One of the projects, Invenergy’s Leading Light Wind, had been planned in waters off New Jersey.
New Jersey joined Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont in the lawsuits.
The states argue that the federal government improperly used the federal Judgment Fund — money normally used to pay court judgments and legal settlements — to finance agreements aimed at ending the offshore wind leases.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said the state believes the administration cannot redirect public money in this way while eliminating energy projects that had already gone through federal leasing processes.
The lawsuits also allege violations of several federal laws, including the Administrative Procedure Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The states are asking federal courts to invalidate the agreements and restore the offshore wind leases.
The Trump administration has defended the cancellations partly on national-security grounds. The U.S. Department of the Interior told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the agreements were voluntary and had been reviewed and approved by the Department of Justice. The department declined to comment directly on the pending litigation.
The dispute comes as New Jersey continues to face growing electricity demand and debate over how the state should expand its energy supply. Offshore wind had been expected to become a significant part of New Jersey’s future electricity mix, but several planned projects have been canceled or disrupted in recent years.
The new lawsuits add another chapter to the broader legal and political battle over the future of offshore wind development along the New Jersey coast.
Sources: Associated Press; The Philadelphia Inquirer; Stateline/CT Mirror
By NJ RADAR Team