The Trump (R) Administration’s $1 billion Payout to a French Energy Company to Walk away from U.S. Offshore Wind Development is a Novel Tactic Against the Industry that Supporters see as Creative, but Opponents see as Foolish and Extreme.
The Interior Department announced 3/23/2026 that TotalEnergies Agreed to what is Essentially a Refund of its Leases for Projects off the Coasts of North Carolina and New York, and will Invest the Money in a Liquefied Natural Gas Export Terminal in Texas and other Fossil Fuel Projects instead. The Department Hailed it as an “Innovative Agreement” with the French Energy Giant so that the "American people will no longer pay for ideological subsidies that benefited only the unreliable and costly offshore wind industry.”
The Tactical Shift comes after Federal Courts have Thwarted Trump's (R) Efforts to Stop Offshore Wind through Executive Action. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told said on Tuesday, that the Payment “sets a dangerous precedent and is a shortsighted misuse of taxpayer dollars.”
Robin Shaffer, President of the Anti-Offshore Wind Group Protect Our Coast New Jersey, Applauded what He called “out of the box” Thinking. Shaffer said after Losing in the Courts, the Administration Needed a way to take Back Leases that never should have been Issued because of the Harm Offshore Wind Development causes to the Marine Environment. “The Trump administration has been relentlessly creative in its efforts to stop offshore wind development in the U.S.," He said, and I Disacree.
While Trump has been particularly Hostile to Offshore Wind, He has also Blocked Dozens of Clean Energy Projects and Canceled Billions-of-Dollars in Ggrants to Promote Clean Energy, which Trump Derides as the “Green New Scam.” This comes at a time when the U.S. is trying to Bboost Power Supplies, in an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Race against China, and keep Electricity Bills from Rising even Higher.
On the Campaign Trail, Trump vowed to End the Offshore Wind Industry, as soon as He Returned to the White House. Trump said Wind Turbines are Horrible and Expensive, and Pose a Threat to Birds and other Wildlife.
Connecticut is getting Power from Revolution Wind, an Offshore Wind Project, and Estimates it will Lower Wholesale Energy Costs for the State. The National Audubon Society, which is Dedicated to the Conservation of Birds, has said Climate Change is a Greater Threat to Birds. Trump has Long Opposed Offshore Wind Energy. In 2015, He Lost His yearslong Battle to Stop an Offshore Wind Farm near Aberdeen in Eastern Scotland, when Britain’s Supreme Court Unanimously Ruled against Him. Trump Claimed the 11 Turbines would Spoil the View from His Golf Course.
He wants to Boost Production of: coal, Natural Gas and Oil, which cause Climate Change, Because He Argues that doing so would give the U.S. the Lowest-Cost Energy and Electricity of any Nation in the World. His First Day back in Office, He Acted on His Campaign Promise, Signing an Executive Order Temporarily Halting Offshore Wind Lease Sales in Federal Waters and Pausing Permitting for All Wind Projects.
U.S. District Judge Patti Saris Vacated Trump’s Executive Order Blocking Wind Energy Projects on 12/8/2025, Declaring it Unlawful as She Sided with State Attorneys Generasl from 17 States and Washington, D.C., who Challenged the Order. The Administration is Appealing.
Two Weeks later, the Administration Ordered that Construction Stop on Five Major East Coast Offshore Wind Projects, citing National Security Concerns. Developers and States Sued, and Federal Judges Allowed All Five to Resume Construction, Essentially Concluding that the Government Didn't Show that the National Security Risk was So Imminent that Construction must Halt.
TotalEnergies wasn't One of those; it had Already Paused its Two Projects soon after Trump was Elected. And the Company has Now Pledged Not to Develop any New Offshore Wind Projects in the U.S.. CEO Patrick Pouyanné said the Refunded Lease Fees will Finance the Construction of a Liquefied Natural Gas Plant in Texas, and the Development of its Oil and Gas Activities, calling it a “more efficient use of capital” in the U.S.
Kit Kennedy, who Directs the Power Division at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the Proposed Payment to TotalEnergies was a “Boondoggle” that “transfers nearly $1 billion from American taxpayers to a foreign corporation and the oil and gas industry.” Why is the U.S. using Taxpayer Dollars “to not develop power when we need energy?” She asked, calling the Trump Administration Deal a “Scam” and Harmful to the U.S. Economy and Environment.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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