The states of Connecticut and Rhode Island have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s order to halt construction on Ørsted’s 704-megawatt (MW) Revolution Wind project, a major offshore wind development in the northeastern United States.
The complaint, filed this week in federal court, names former President Donald Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the Department of the Interior, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) as defendants. The legal challenge adds to growing opposition to the administration’s actions targeting offshore wind, including lawsuits from other states and a separate filing by Ørsted itself.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong criticized the stop-work order during a press conference on Thursday, calling it “an utterly unlawful, baseless, and frankly senseless and stupid stop-work order.” He added, “That’s why we’re in federal court today along with our partners in Rhode Island.”
The Revolution Wind project is intended to supply 304MW of electricity to Connecticut and 400MW to Rhode Island. Both states say the project is critical to meeting their clean energy targets and maintaining grid reliability.
“We need this power, we need generation. This was a real, concrete answer that was ready to come online very soon,” Tong said, describing the shutdown as part of a broader “war on ratepayers.”
The lawsuit from Connecticut and Rhode Island follows legal action by a coalition of 17 states and the District of Columbia challenging a January executive order by Trump that imposed new restrictions on offshore wind development.
Revolution Wind, developed by Danish energy company Ørsted, was expected to begin delivering power in the near term before the federal suspension. The case will test the extent of federal authority over state-backed renewable energy procurement.
