Trump administration asks court to reopen Revolution Wind approval

The Trump administration has asked a federal judge to send the approval for Revolution Wind back to the Interior Department for another review, reopening uncertainty around an offshore wind project that has installed all 65 of its turbines and is nearing full operation.

The request appears in an October 9 filing in Green Oceans' lawsuit against federal agencies. The department said remand of the project's construction and operations plan is warranted so the agency can reassess whether the approval complied with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has not ruled on the request.

What the administration is asking for

A remand would return the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's approval to Interior for reconsideration. It is not, by itself, a court order canceling the permit or stopping the turbines. CT Mirror described the government as seeking permission to rescind the approval, while the filing language quoted by the outlet asks the court to send the decision back for review.

Interior told CT Mirror that it was complying with a briefing schedule rather than announcing a new policy. The department said its position on offshore wind had remained consistent and cautioned against treating the filing as a change in approach. Developer Ørsted declined the outlet's request for comment.

The government argued that the 2023 approval did not adequately explain how projected effects on fishing, recreation and other uses of federal waters fit with the agency's statutory responsibilities. Those are the administration's legal claims; the court has not accepted them, and the filing does not establish that the original approval was unlawful.

A project already delivering electricity

Revolution Wind is a 704-megawatt project in federal waters about 15 nautical miles south of Rhode Island. Its electricity is contracted to utilities in Connecticut and Rhode Island. The project began sending power to the New England grid in March 2026, installed its final turbine in September and is expected to reach full operation by the end of the year, according to CT Mirror and maritime-industry reporting.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's project page says the approved plan covers up to 100 wind turbines and related offshore substations, cables and onshore facilities. The developer ultimately installed 65 turbines. The Maritime Executive reported that the project represents a $6.2 billion investment led by Ørsted with Skyborn Renewables as an investment partner.

The latest filing is part of a longer fight. The administration previously tried to stop construction and later included Revolution Wind in a broader stop-work action, citing concerns including possible radar interference. Courts allowed construction to continue. Lamberth has twice sided with the project's developers in disputes over earlier efforts to halt the work, CT Mirror reported.

What happens next

The immediate decision belongs to Lamberth. If he grants the request, Interior would reconsider the construction and operations approval while the court determines how to handle the remaining claims. The practical effect would depend on the terms of any order and on what the agency does after remand.

President Donald Trump has opposed offshore wind and, on January 20, 2025, directed agencies to pause new or renewed approvals while reviewing federal wind-leasing and permitting practices. Revolution Wind had already received its main federal construction approval, which is why the administration is now asking the court to reopen an existing decision rather than simply withholding a new permit.

For Connecticut and Rhode Island, the stakes include contracted electricity from a project already connected to the grid. For the administration, the case tests how far agencies may go in revisiting a prior approval after construction is effectively complete. Until the judge rules, the filing is a request—not a revocation or a new stop-work order.

Sources and image credit

Primary project record: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management — Revolution Wind. Policy context: White House memorandum on offshore-wind leasing and permitting.

Reporting on the October 9 filing and responses: CT Mirror and The Maritime Executive.

Image: U.S. Department of Energy, Block Island Wind Farm, via Wikimedia Commons; public domain as a U.S. Department of Energy work. The photograph shows a separate Rhode Island offshore wind project and is used as a regional illustration. Cropped to 16:9.