Surprisingly, some top oil and gas executives are worried about the Trump administration’s aggressive actions against offshore wind projects, especially those along the East Coast that face blockades. While these industry leaders typically avoid public criticism of President Trump, several privately shared their concerns with The New York Times, viewing these actions as inappropriate political interference in the energy sector.
Darren Woods, CEO of Exxon Mobil, emphasized in a recent interview that ‘constantly shifting policies, especially with changes in administration, are detrimental to business, the economy, and ultimately, to people.’ Woods, leading the largest U.S. oil and gas firm, made these remarks when asked about the Trump administration’s efforts to stop offshore wind farms that had already received full federal permits, though he carefully avoided direct condemnation of the administration’s specific moves.
Privately, other executives expressed more direct apprehension, fearing that rescinding federal approvals for wind projects could establish a dangerous precedent. A future administration might then use similar tactics to obstruct vital pipelines or other fossil fuel infrastructure. An anonymized survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas captured this sentiment perfectly: ‘Life is long, and the weapon currently aimed at the renewables industry will probably be turned against traditional energy in just a few years.’
A federal judge recently greenlit the resumption of work on Revolution Wind, an offshore project off Rhode Island that the Trump administration had attempted to halt. Similarly, Empire Wind in New York was permitted to continue after federal officials, following discussions with Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, rescinded their stop-work order.
The Trump administration justified its actions by stating a need to evaluate the national security implications of offshore wind farms. Responding to the oil and gas industry’s concerns, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers deflected criticism by instead attacking the energy policies of previous administrations. Rogers asserted, ‘It was Obama and Biden who waged war on the energy industry by shutting down gas pipelines, prohibiting offshore drilling in vast areas, stopping LNG export terminals, and freezing coal mining initiatives.’
While Trump isn’t the first president to challenge energy projects, this trend seems to be intensifying. For example, President Joe Biden revoked a federal permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline in 2021, arguing it wasn’t in the national interest, even though the pipeline, designed to transport oil from Alberta to Nebraska, was already underway. Last year, Biden also temporarily halted federal approvals for new natural gas export facilities to examine their potential impact on climate, the economy, and national security. A federal judge subsequently ordered the lifting of this pause.
Trump, however, has been particularly outspoken in his criticisms of wind turbines, often making unsubstantiated claims such as attributing cancer and whale deaths to them. His administration has actively pursued blocking all new wind farm leases on federal lands and waters, and has attempted to revoke federal approvals for existing wind projects off Maryland and Massachusetts. The Times also reported that the White House recently directed several federal agencies to investigate the perceived risks of offshore wind. During a recent cabinet meeting, Trump declared, ‘Windmills, we’re just not going to allow them.’
Compounding the industry’s woes is the accelerated phaseout of wind power tax credits, approved by Congress this summer. This has led energy analysts to predict that no new offshore wind farms will be constructed in the U.S. after 2028.
Toby Rice, CEO of Pittsburgh-based EQT, a major natural gas producer, expressed empathy, stating, ‘I feel for the wind guys, man. I know exactly how it feels when you have an energy project that’s close to getting built getting stopped. I would like to see a world where that doesn’t happen.’ Industry trade organizations voiced particular alarm over the Trump administration’s attempts to revoke permits that had already been issued.
Martin Durbin, Senior Vice President of Policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, recently wrote that such actions ‘not only inject significant uncertainty into the infrastructure development process, but invariably increase project costs and risk raising electricity prices, hindering our ability to meet growing demand.’ Jason Grumet, head of the American Clean Power Association, reported that his renewable energy trade group’s members now face a ‘risk premium’ when investing in the United States. Grumet called this development ‘horrifying,’ lamenting that ‘we always were the rule-of-law place.’
Mike Sommers, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, the leading oil industry trade group, urged Congress to reform and streamline federal permitting, noting on a recent podcast that ‘we’ve seen both sides of the aisle abuse the permitting process.’ However, Sommers also voiced frustration regarding historical opposition to oil and gas projects. He pointed out, ‘I didn’t see a lot of clean energy lobbyists out there saying that we should get the Keystone XL pipeline built.’