US President Donald Trump has issued an Executive Order pausing offshore wind leasing on the US Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and mandating a review of the federal government’s leasing and permitting practices for wind projects. The Order also stops all relevant agencies from issuing approvals, either new or renewed, for both onshore and offshore wind projects until the review is completed.
“Under the authority granted to me in section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 1341(a), I hereby withdraw from disposition for wind energy leasing all areas within the Offshore Continental Shelf (OCS) as defined in section 2 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 1331. This withdrawal shall go into effect beginning on January 21, 2025, and shall remain in effect until this Presidential Memorandum is revoked”, US President Donald Trump states in the Executive Order issued on 20 January.
According to Section 1 of the document, the withdrawal of the OCS areas under the Order does not apply to leasing related to other purposes, including oil, gas, minerals, and environmental conservation, and it does not affect rights under existing leases in the withdrawn areas.
However, for existing leases, the Executive Order instructs the Secretary of the Interior to perform “a comprehensive review of the ecological, economic, and environmental necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases, identifying any legal bases for such removal, and submit a report with recommendations to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy.”
Section 2 of the Executive Order discontinues the issuance of new or renewed approvals, rights of way, permits, leases, or loans for onshore and offshore wind projects until “a comprehensive assessment and review of Federal wind leasing and permitting practices” is completed.
The assessment and review will be led by the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, through the NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the Secretary of Energy, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
