Governors' Wind Energy Coalition

Revolutions Wind turbines are located about 12 miles off the coast of Aquinnah

The offshore wind farm closest to Vineyard shores is pushing back against the Trump administration’s decision to halt the renewable energy leases, saying the national security concerns raised by the federal government are bogus.

In court filings last week, Revolution Wind, the 65-turbine wind farm located 12 miles off the coast of Aquinnah, said the Department of Interior’s decision to halt leases for reported national security concerns was against the law, threatening billions of dollars of investment.

“[The stop work order] is wholly conclusory, internally inconsistent, and overbroad,” lawyers wrote in a new complaint filed in a Washington, D.C. federal court on Jan. 1. “The [order] ignores that [the] Interior has stated plainly that the Project does not interfere with national security.”

The company said the project was engaged in years-long consultation with the U.S. Department of Defense, the same department that now has raised security concerns rooted in the potential for turbines to create radar interference.

Revolution Wind argued that the Department of Defense and the Air Force had executed a formal agreement that outlined mitigation measures needed for the project to proceed.

The Trump administration has been hostile to the still nascent offshore wind energy industry since President Donald Trump’s first day in office. Revolution Wind has drawn particular scrutiny.

In August, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in August halted construction on Revolution Wind. That was one of the first times BOEM had cited national security concerns as a reason to consider if an already approved project should move forward.

The order was initially overturned as a temporary reprieve by a federal judge, and the new complaint was filed as a supplement when the Trump administration again halted activities for 90 days through a new order in December.

The December order was the most ambitious move against offshore wind energy, which is predominantly rooted in an area of water off the Vineyard coast. It stopped all projects already under construction, including Vineyard Wind, which had already started generating power.

Revolution Wind said about 87 per cent of construction was completed and the farm expected to start producing power this month. If the second order were to remain in force, the company claimed it would cost the project $1.4 million a day.

The attorneys have asked that the court find that the order breaks several different federal laws and grant an injunction.

The federal government has not yet responded in court to the new complaint.

Orsted said it is also considering legal recourse for its Sunrise Wind project, which is about 16 miles south of the Vineyard.

A Virginia farm and a New York project have also filed lawsuits.

Vineyard Wind, which was allowed to continue generating some power during the federal government security review, has not taken legal action as of Monday, though it has emerged successful in other cases.