WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced the termination of $679 million in funding for multiple offshore wind projects across the country, including U.S. Wind's development here off Delmarva.
Sec. Duffy says the Trump Administration is shifting focus away from offshore wind and has refocused the Department of Transportation and its Maritime Administration on U.S. shipbuilding. The offshore wind project funding will be redirected to address port upgrades and other infrastructure needs, the Department of Transportation said in a statement Friday, Aug. 29.
“Wasteful, wind projects are using resources that could otherwise go towards revitalizing America’s maritime industry,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg bent over backwards to use transportation dollars for their Green New Scam agenda while ignoring the dire needs of our shipbuilding industry. Thanks to President Trump, we are prioritizing real infrastructure improvements over fantasy wind projects that cost much and offer little.”
Among the funding cancellations announced is over $47 million for the Sparrows Point Steel Marshalling Port Project. According to Rep. Andy Harris, Sparrows Point Steel is a subsidiary of U.S. Wind and “would have been a key manufacturing hub for Maryland Offshore Wind and several other offshore wind projects along the Atlantic Coast.”
This is the second blow the Trump Administration has dealt to U.S. Wind's proposed project off Delmarva in just a week. On Friday, Aug. 22, the Administration notified the District Court in the District of Delaware that it intended to revoke approval of U.S. Wind's development. That intention was underscored on Monday when the AG Pam Bondi's DOJ alerted a Maryland District Court of the same.
Earlier this month, the Trump Administration added wind turbines to its list of imported steel products that would be subject to tariffs. The Department of Commerce went on to further target the offshore wind industry by launching a national security investigation into imported turbines, opening the products to further tariff hikes.
In response to the national security investigation, US Wind said it was focused on producing steel here domestically. With today's announcement from the Department of Transportation, however, US Wind's steel production plans here in Maryland face a new funding shortfall.
Still, messaging from US Wind remained optimistic even with the Trump Administration's latest announcement on cancelling federal funding.
“Sparrows Point Steel will continue to move forward, ultimately bringing hundreds of manufacturing jobs to the Baltimore region," Nancy Sopko, US Wind’s VP of External Affairs told WBOC Friday. "There continues to be a robust market for steel components for the energy and shipbuilding industries, and US Wind is confident that just as steel has been a key part of the region's past, Sparrows Point Steel will be an important part of Maryland's industrial future.”
Others lauded the federal government's announced funding reversal, especially long-time opponents of US Wind's proposed project off Worcester County, Md. and Sussex County, Del.
“I applaud Secretary Sean Duffy and the U.S. Department of Transportation for their decision to withdraw $679 million in funding from failed offshore wind projects,” Maryland Congressman Harris said on Friday. “This decision is a major win for our local communities, fishermen, and our coastal economy. The offshore wind industry has repeatedly overpromised and underdelivered—threatening marine ecosystems, disrupting historic industries like commercial fishing, and burdening taxpayers with billions in subsidies.”
For a full list of funding cancellations from the U.S. Department of Transportation, you can click here.