Seven US states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a deal to cancel a major offshore wind lease off the coast of New York. The states argue that the agreement, which involved paying French energy firm TotalEnergies nearly $1bn in taxpayer money to scrap the project, is unlawful.
The lawsuit, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, claims the deal violates the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Judgment Fund Act. The states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont have joined the legal action.
Under the terms of the deal, TotalEnergies agreed to terminate two offshore windfarms planned off New York and North Carolina and pledged not to develop new offshore wind projects in the US, while investing hundreds of millions in oil and gas. The administration had previously faced court defeats after trying to halt offshore wind development through executive orders.
James said the deal was a 'sham' that would destroy over a thousand union jobs and deprive millions of New Yorkers of clean, affordable energy. The plaintiffs are seeking to strike down the agreement and prevent further implementation.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the deal as a win for affordable and reliable energy, calling offshore wind 'expensive, unreliable, environmentally disruptive and subsidy-dependent'. However, green groups argued that removing affordable, homegrown energy would leave consumers struggling with electricity bills.
