HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio) - Connecticut's top democratic leaders are reacting to the latest move from the Trump Administration to pause leases on five large-scale offshore wind projects that are under construction on the east coast.
The administration cites the Pentagon's decision that the projects present national security risks.
The pause is effective immediately and, according to the Trump administration, will give the Interior Department time to work with various
agencies to assess the possible ways to mitigate any determined risks.
A previous attempt to stop the projects at the end of the summer failed.
However, Connecticut's officials see the move a different way.
They have issued the following statements:
“This is yet another erratic, anti-business move by the Trump administration that will drive up the price of electricity in Connecticut and throughout the region. At a time when my administration is working tirelessly to ensure Connecticut has a diverse energy supply and lower utility costs for families and businesses, the White House continues to be an obstacle. This project is nearing completion and providing good-paying clean energy jobs. Businesses and residents deserve economic predictability, yet with the administration’s constant starts and stops they’re left with the opposite, so the one thing the people of Connecticut can count on is that we will stand up to the Trump administration and ensure this project continues to move forward.” - Governor Ned Lamont
“This appears to be a second, even more lawless and erratic stop work order, reviving the Trump Administration’s prior failed attempt to halt construction of Revolution Wind. We went to court over this before. There is a court order blocking their prior stop work order and this appears to be a new brazen attempt to circumvent that order. The project has been vetted and approved through every layer of federal and state regulatory process, including a careful review of the issues raised in this announcement. Every day this project is stalled is another day of lost work, another day of unaffordable energy costs, and other day burning fossil fuels when American-made clean energy is within reach. We are evaluating all legal options, and this will be stopped just like last time.” - Attorney General William Tong
“While the Trump Administration plays political games with Revolution Wind, here’s what’s at stake for Connecticut: the loss of good paying union jobs, billions of public and private dollars wasted, and higher electricity prices. This latest attack on Revolution Wind is even more absurd than the first one. The President cites national security risks, but has not been able to prove or demonstrate that such risks even exist. I am standing with our state’s delegation to keep fighting for this project, the workers who deserve to keep their jobs, and the Connecticut consumers who can’t afford to pay more for electricity.” - Senator Richard Blumenthal
“The Trump Administration’s latest ‘pause’ of the Revolution Wind project is just as baseless as their previous attacks on our clean energy economy. The President has taken an axe to wind energy, solar projects, and our state’s clean hydrogen sector, putting hundreds of people out of work and saddling households across the state with even higher electricity bills. The State of Connecticut, led by Attorney General William Tong, already took him on to halt his illegal stop work order before, and we’re prepared to do it again. I worked with my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee over the last few years to improve our power grid by investing in affordable, reliable clean energy sources – like offshore wind. We cannot afford to undo that progress because Donald Trump thinks climate change is a ‘hoax.’ This attack on Revolution Wind and Connecticut ratepayers must not stand.” - Congressman John Larson