The Trump administration is taking new steps to roll back offshore wind development, announcing plans to revoke approval for the $2.2 billion Maryland Offshore Wind project, a 2.2-gigawatt installation off the coasts of Maryland and Delaware.

In a Friday court filing, the Department of the Interior (DOI) said it will “reevaluate under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act” its earlier decision to approve the project’s construction and operations plan (COP). The department added that it would file a motion for remand of its prior approval no later than September 12.

The filing comes in response to a lawsuit filed in February by South Bethany, Delaware, property owner and attorney Edward Bintz. Bintz claimed that the Biden administration’s approval of the project violated the Coastal Zone Management Act. The Interior Department argued in its motion that revoking the plan would make the case “entirely moot.”

“Interior now intends to reevaluate under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act its decision to approve the COP and, as a result, will be moving no later than September 12 … for remand of that prior COP approval,” the filing stated.

The Maryland Offshore Wind project has already faced legal challenges, including a lawsuit in U.S. District Court filed by Ocean City officials. Interior noted that while one Coastal Zone Management Act claim in that case was dismissed, the operative complaint still alleges that the project’s approval violated the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The project is part of a larger portfolio of offshore wind developments targeted by the Trump administration since returning to office. In recent months, Interior has issued stop-work orders for multiple high-profile projects. On the same day it moved against Maryland Offshore Wind, the agency halted construction on Revolution Wind, a 700-MW project designed to supply clean energy to Rhode Island and Connecticut.

In April, the administration also ordered Equinor to pause work on Empire Wind 1, an 810-MW offshore wind project near New York. Equinor reported that delays were costing up to $50 million per week and nearly forced the company to abandon the project before New York Governor Kathy Hochul intervened.

These actions come alongside a broader policy push, with the U.S. Department of Commerce launching a probe into the national security impacts of importing wind turbines and parts. Analysts at Capstone predicted tariffs could range from 25% to 50%, mirroring other Section 232 trade duties imposed by the administration.

Industry experts have voiced concern that the administration’s actions could destabilize renewable energy investment. “Offshore wind certainly has taken a beating,” said Lauren Collins, a tax partner at Vinson & Elkins. “Both through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and recent news on offshore wind projects basically being shuttered even though they’re almost done.”

Kat Burnham, Rhode Island policy lead at Advanced Energy United, echoed those concerns: “The Trump administration’s escalating attacks on offshore wind are creating chaos in the energy sector. Pulling back approvals for projects that are already permitted and in some cases nearly built undermines years of planning, billions of dollars in private investment, and thousands of jobs.”

The Maryland Offshore Wind COP envisioned up to 114 wind turbine generators, four offshore substations, a meteorological tower, and up to four cable corridors to deliver power ashore in Sussex County, Delaware. Two phases of the project — the 300-MW MarWin project and the 800-MW Momentum Wind project — had already secured renewable energy certificates from the state of Maryland.

MarWin was slated to begin delivering electricity later this year, while Momentum Wind was expected to come online in 2028. The future of both phases now hangs in the balance as federal approval is reevaluated.

Originally reported by Diana DiGangi in Utility Dive.