Construction on the $4 billion Revolution Wind offshore energy project off the Rhode Island coast is back underway after a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s stop-work order. The ruling, issued last Monday, enables the company to continue building the nearly finished wind farm while legal challenges proceed.
The Biden-era project, now roughly 80% complete, resumed operations the day after the court decision. The stop-work directive—issued by the White House in late August—had forced a monthlong pause that reportedly cost the company over $2 million per day, according to David Langlais, business manager of Iron Workers Local 37.
Langlais confirmed that workers received full compensation throughout the delay:
“The wind farm paid full wages and benefits during the construction pause,” he said.
Revolution Wind is backed by 20-year agreements with Rhode Island and Connecticut utility companies. Once online, it is expected to produce 704 megawatts of electricity — at a lower cost than comparable fossil fuel-generated power.
The project could ultimately meet up to 25% of Rhode Island’s electricity demand, The Herald previously reported.
Rhode Island’s congressional leadership cheered the judge’s decision.
In a joint statement issued to The Herald, U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Reps. Gabe Amo and Seth Magaziner ’06, called the injunction “the right outcome.”
Magaziner emphasized the project’s economic and consumer benefits in a separate statement:
The project is “set to deliver affordable clean energy to the grid at a lower cost to consumers than the current market rate,” Magaziner said.
The ruling does not permanently shield Revolution Wind from further legal action. The injunction may be appealed, and litigation continues on multiple fronts.
Attorneys General Peter Neronha P’19 P’22 of Rhode Island and William Tong ’95 of Connecticut are still challenging the administration’s authority to halt the project.
In a Sept. 29 filing, the AGs warned:
“Though the stop work order is not currently in effect … that situation is tenuous at best.”
The environmental group Green Oceans, based in Rhode Island, has also entered the legal fight as an intervenor. The nonprofit, which previously sued to block the project’s permits in January 2024, argues that offshore turbines threaten marine ecosystems and disrupt commercial fishing operations.
In an interview with The Herald, Barbara Chapman P’18 P’20, a trustee and member of the group’s legal team, warned of environmental fallout:
She claimed that offshore wind turbines disrupt important marine habitats and fishing grounds.
Green Oceans released a 66-page report in May asserting that federal officials could cancel offshore wind leases altogether.
Despite the recent setback in court, the Trump administration is far from retreating.
White House Spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in an email to The Herald that the administration remains focused on reassessing the project’s permits:
“President Trump began cutting red tape on day one to lower energy costs and improve grid reliability,” Rogers wrote.
She added that “offshore wind projects were given unfair, preferential treatment” during the Biden years, claiming that “the rest of the energy industry was hindered by burdensome regulations,” which she said led to higher energy prices.
Victoria Peabody, spokesperson for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said federal scrutiny continues even as crews return to work:
The agency intends to continue “its investigation into possible impacts by (Revolution Wind) to national security” as construction resumes.
Revolution Wind still faces regulatory and legal uncertainty, with the injunction potentially subject to appeal. The final ruling could determine not just the future of this project but set precedent for other offshore wind developments along the East Coast.
For now, developers, labor unions, and public officials are pushing forward — treating the judicial ruling as a temporary lifeline in a high-stakes energy and policy battle.
Originally reported by Talia Egnal, Senior Staff Reporter in The Brown Daily Herald.
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