The Trump administration has asked a federal judge to cancel the 2024 approval of US Wind’s Maryland Offshore Wind Project. The administration argues that the Biden administration underestimated risks to search and rescue operations and commercial fisheries when granting the permit.
If the court accepts the motion, the approval process that took several years would be invalidated. The project, located off the coast of Maryland, was planned to generate enough electricity to supply around 718,000 homes.
The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland following a lawsuit by the mayor and city council of Ocean City, who have consistently opposed the project. The Interior Department submitted the motion in support of the town’s case.
The legal dispute centres on the federal government’s interpretation of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The Biden administration had adopted a broad reading of the law, giving agencies discretion to balance offshore activities such as energy development, shipping, and fishing. Earlier this year, attorneys for the Trump administration withdrew that interpretation, undermining the basis for the project’s approval.
