Seven US states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to cancel a major offshore wind lease off the coast of New York. The deal, announced in March, involved paying nearly $1bn in taxpayer money to French energy firm TotalEnergies to terminate plans for two offshore windfarms off New York and North Carolina.
The lawsuit, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, argues that the agreement is unlawful. It claims the deal violates the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which restricts the interior department's ability to cancel offshore wind leases, and breaches the Judgment Fund Act, which regulates appropriations for court judgments and settlements.
According to James, the Trump administration resorted to this deal after repeatedly losing in court over executive orders aimed at halting offshore wind development. The states argue that the cancellation threatens over a thousand union jobs and deprives millions of New Yorkers of clean, affordable energy.
The plaintiffs, which include Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont, are seeking to strike down the agreement and halt the lease cancellation. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the deal as a win for affordable and reliable energy, calling offshore wind expensive and environmentally disruptive. However, green groups argue that paying to remove affordable energy leaves consumers struggling with high electricity bills.
