Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew Collaborates with President-elect Trump on Executive Order to Halt Offshore Wind Turbine Activities

Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew recently announced that he has been working closely with President-elect Donald Trump on crafting an executive order aimed at “halting offshore wind turbine activities” along the East Coast.

Van Drew expressed strong criticism towards the Biden administration’s approval process for offshore wind projects, labeling them as “an economic and environmental disaster waiting to happen.”

This move comes at a crucial time for New Jersey’s ambitious offshore wind initiatives and the growing domestic market. New Jersey has set a target of generating 11 gigawatts of offshore wind electricity by 2040, which would account for 30% of East Coast wind energy production.

Just a few months ago, in October 2024, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved the Atlantic Shores South project off the coast of New Jersey. This project consists of two facilities that are projected to generate 2,800 megawatts of power, enough to supply electricity to nearly one million homes.

Van Drew, a staunch opponent of offshore wind development, has raised concerns about the potential impacts of these projects, citing incidents such as a turbine failure at Nantucket. He has also expressed worries about environmental risks, noise violations, and escalating costs to taxpayers. In 2023, he even proposed legislation for a complete moratorium on existing and future offshore wind projects.

A draft executive order obtained by Heatmap News reveals that the proposed order calls for “the suspension of offshore wind development.” If implemented, it would not only halt new permits but also impose a stop-work order on all offshore wind projects currently under construction.

This proposed executive order directly challenges the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030.

President-elect Trump, a vocal opponent of offshore wind development, has previously promised to issue a “day one” executive order targeting the sector, citing concerns about the impact on birds and whales.

Despite the Biden Administration’s approval of 11 commercial-scale offshore wind projects representing 19 gigawatts of clean energy, the future of projects like the Atlantic Shores venture, a collaboration between Shell New Energies US and EDF Renewables, remains uncertain as the incoming administration signals a different approach to offshore wind development.