Offshore Wind and Fossil Fuels

The Department of the Interior announced Monday that the Trump administration will pay French energy giant TotalEnergies up to $1 billion to relinquish two offshore wind leases off North Carolina and off New York/New Jersey, with the company pledging not to pursue any new U.S. offshore wind projects and instead invest the refunded capital in fossil‑fuel ventures. TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné said the firm is renouncing U.S. offshore wind because it believes such projects are “not in the country’s interest,” and plans to use the reimbursed lease fees to finance a liquefied natural gas plant in Texas and expand its U.S. oil and gas activities, calling that a more efficient use of capital. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum praised the move as supporting “dependable, affordable power” and secure baseload generation, aligning with President Trump’s broader effort to roll back Biden‑era offshore wind expansion and double down on oil, gas and coal. Environmental groups including NRDC and the Environmental Defense Fund condemned the settlement as an “outrageous misuse of taxpayer dollars” that effectively pays a multinational to block clean‑energy projects at a time of high energy costs and worsening climate risks. The deal comes just months after federal judges overturned Trump‑ordered construction halts on five East Coast wind farms, underscoring that the administration is now using financial settlements and lease policy to attack offshore wind after losing in court.