U.S. Federal Court Rejects Trump Administration’s Stop-Work Order on $6.2 Billion New England Offshore Wind Project

By Michael Katz | Monday, 12 January 2026 08:30 PM EST
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., overturned an Interior Department directive halting construction of a $6.2 billion offshore wind project serving New England.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, marks a setback for President Donald Trump’s efforts to shut down coastal wind projects. It was the second time Lamberth has issued an injunction against the Trump administration’s stop-work order affecting the Revolution Wind project.

Lamberth stated that evidence presented by the federal government—citing potential impacts on military radar from large offshore wind farms—was insufficient to justify halting work on a project that had undergone years of development and received approval in 2023 under the Biden administration.

“While the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management may order a suspension of operations for legitimate national security reasons, those suspensions are limited to emergency situations and demonstrated findings of particularized harm that cannot be averted without halting project activity,” Lamberth wrote.

The judge also noted that administration officials became aware of newly classified information related to offshore wind projects in November but did not act on it until December 22. “I am not persuaded that any such emergency exists in this case,” Lamberth stated.

Lamberth’s ruling applies only to the Revolution Wind project and does not extend to four other offshore wind projects halted by the Trump administration’s stop-work order, including its sister project, Sunrise Wind.

Despite this court victory, Revolution Wind developers face a tight deadline to complete construction off the coast of Rhode Island. The project was nearly 87% complete when work was suspended in late December. According to court filings, all but seven of the project’s 65 turbines have been mounted on pilings driven into the seafloor, and transmission cables have already been laid to connect the facility to onshore substations.

Revolution Wind is a 50-50 joint venture between Orsted and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables. Janice Schneider, an attorney for the developers, told the court the project is at a “crucial stage” of construction and that work stoppage costs the company approximately $1.44 million per day. Court records show developers must complete installation of the remaining turbines by February 22 before a specialized vessel departs for other projects, with the work expected to take at least 41 days to finish.

“Today’s ruling reaffirms what was already clear,” said Rep. Joe Courtney, ranking member of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee. “The Trump administration’s second attempt to halt the Revolution Wind project is driven by the president’s longstanding personal vendetta against offshore wind, not any genuine national security concerns.”

The ruling could have broader implications for other offshore wind developers. Norwegian energy company Equinor has filed a legal challenge in the same court over its Empire Wind project off New York, while Dominion Energy Virginia has brought a separate challenge in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia. Both cases are scheduled for similar hearings later this week.