Former U.S. President Donald Trump said a temporary halt on offshore wind development off the coast of New Jersey will become permanent if he returns to office, according to Reuters.
Trump made the comments during a campaign phone call in support of New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli. He said his administration’s earlier suspension of new federal offshore wind leasing — pending environmental and economic reviews — would not be reversed.
The remarks mark a continuation of Trump’s long-standing criticism of the wind energy industry. He has previously argued that turbines are “ugly, expensive and harm wildlife,” Reuters reported.
New Jersey is among the United States’ leading offshore wind markets. Former Governor Phil Murphy set a goal of reaching 11 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2040 as part of the state’s clean energy transition.
In its fourth offshore wind solicitation, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities sought up to 4GW of new capacity. Two of the three bidders later withdrew, leaving only Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind — a joint venture between Shell and France’s EDF — as the remaining developer, according to Reuters.
Atlantic Shores received federal approval during President Joe Biden’s administration. The company’s Atlantic Shores South project is designed to generate up to 2.8GW of electricity, enough to power nearly one million homes, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
