NEW ORLEANS – The Trump administration has rescinded all designated Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) across more than 3.5 million acres of the Outer Continental Shelf, effectively dismantling the federal framework for offshore wind planning in U.S. waters.
The move, announced by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on July 30, affects zones previously identified as most suitable for wind energy development.
"By rescinding WEAs, BOEM is ending the federal practice of designating large areas of the OCS for speculative wind development, and is de-designating over 3.5 million acres of unleased federal waters previously targeted for offshore wind development across the Gulf of America, Gulf of Maine, the New York Bight, California, Oregon, and the Central Atlantic," BOEM said in its press release.
This marks the first time BOEM has formally de-designated those areas, ending a federal practice that dates back to 2014. The agency described the decision as a permanent rollback of support for what it called “speculative wind development,” reversing years of mapping, permitting groundwork, and public planning.
The decision is part of a broader shift away from renewable energy under the Trump administration, which has prioritized fossil fuels over wind and solar. Shortly after returning to office in January, President Trump signed an executive memorandum that temporarily withdrew all Outer Continental Shelf areas from offshore wind leasing and called for a broad review of federal permitting policies.
Building on that action, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued a directive on July 17 titled “Ending Preferential Treatment for Unreliable, Foreign‑Controlled Energy Sources.” The policy requires all decisions involving wind and solar energy—such as leases, rights-of-way, and construction plans—to undergo elevated review and receive personal approval from the Secretary’s office. It also aims to eliminate any federal policies seen as favoring wind and solar and to reduce reliance on foreign-controlled supply chains, which the administration has characterized as national security risks.
The administration has justified the new direction by portraying wind and solar as unreliable, heavily subsidized, and dependent on foreign technology. As a result, renewable energy projects now face additional layers of review and oversight. The Interior Department is also reassessing wind development on federal lands, with all project decisions now requiring personal sign-off by the Secretary.
The rollback directly affects previously planned offshore wind projects in several coastal states, including Texas, Louisiana, Maine, New York, California, and Oregon. The Biden administration had laid out a five-year leasing schedule for those areas, which will now be shelved. Environmental groups and state officials say the action undermines economic opportunity and the nation’s clean energy goals.
The Sierra Club and attorneys general from 17 states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits challenging the administration’s actions arguing they violate environmental laws and undermine clean energy goals. They contend the move favors fossil fuels and disregards the economic and climate benefits of renewable energy and sets back years of investment and planning.
Oil & Gas Prioritized Over Wind Energy in Louisiana
Governor Jeff Landry and state lawmakers have also taken concrete steps to position oil and gas as Louisiana’s primary energy focus. Gov. Landry signed into law Act 462 (HB 692), which redefined natural gas and nuclear energy as “green energy” and mandated that state agencies and utilities prioritize those sources over wind and solar, citing grid reliability and energy independence.
This legislation also reorganized the state's energy oversight, reduced penalties on new oil production, and directed regulators to support fossil fuel development, aligning with Landry’s stated goal to “unleash Louisiana’s energy industry” and follow a federal “energy dominance” agenda.
It reorganized the Department of Energy and Natural Resources into the newly renamed Department of Conservation and Energy, replacing the commissioner with a governor‑appointed Secretary and creating new offices—Permitting & Compliance, Enforcement, and State Resources—to centralize and streamline state energy regulation.
Financial Incentives for Wind Energy Rolled Back
The rollback of offshore wind planning is one part of the administration’s broader effort to scale back federal support for renewable energy. In addition to regulatory hurdles, the administration is also phasing out financial incentives. Only wind projects that begin construction by December 31 will qualify for the full federal tax credit.
“This destabilizes any long-term planning of clean wind energy projects and goes against Louisiana’s all-of-the-above approach to energy sources and threatens existing projects such as those held by Diamond Offshore Wind and Cajun Wind, large-scale commercial wind developments off the coast of Cameron and Terrebonne/Lafourche Parishes respectively.”
Projects started in 2026 will receive 60% of the credit, and those starting in 2027 just 20%. Any project beginning in 2028 or later will receive no tax credit support.
“For wind and solar, changes projects are likely not to go to construction until ’27 or ’28, so this effectively kills those projects,” said Harry Godfrey, Advanced Energy United based in Washington, D.C.
