Dying Winds - The Offshore Wind Industry’s Struggle to Say Afloat

Broken Vineyard Wind Turbine. Courtesy of Ray Ewing and the Vineyard Gazette.

Offshore wind implementation in the United States has been a relatively recent development, far after those in European Countries. The first ever offshore wind farm was constructed in Vindeby off the coast of Denmark in 1991. In the United States, the first offshore wind farm was constructed in 2018 off the coast of Block Island in Rhode Island, a significant gap between the first in the world and the first in the United States. The recent push in the United States has focused on the east coast, with developments off of Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia, with possible sites in North Carolina. 

However, the Trump Administration has not been friendly to offshore wind developments, revoking funding towards these projects. Funds were revoked, with the U.S. Department of Transportation stating that they are to be reallocated to prioritize “restoring America’s maritime dominance and preventing waste.” Revolution Wind, which is nearly complete and scheduled to supply electricity to Rhode Island and Connecticut, was prohibited from continuing construction, citing national security concerns. However, a judge lifted the stop work order from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on September 22, 2025. Additionally, the Trump Administration has asked a court to revoke the permits for an offshore wind farm near Ocean City, Maryland, stating that the production of energy from these farms is not reliable enough as well as being too expensive, as justification for revoking the $47.4 million in funds. The wind farm is projected to power over 700,000 homes if federal approval remains with the project.

Cutting costs has been a major theme of Donald Trump’s second presidential term, pushing the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to cut massive amounts of perceived waste from the federal government. In addition to funding being at stake, the Trump administration has imposed a 50% tariff on wind turbine imports, a severe damper on the industry. While this will have a massive effect on the industry, it is unclear to see if the wind farms will continue to be constructed, and where funding will come from.

With the state of funding in limbo, jobs created by the production of the turbines, as well as the transition to clean and green energy are both at stake. States have invested billions of dollars into the development of these offshore wind farms, arguing that they have massive long term potential in the production of electricity. Offshore wind farms are essential in preventing the advancement of climate change, shifting energy production from fossil fuels and other polluting productions to safe, clean, and green production.

In addition to the unstable state of funding for offshore wind projects, they have been plagued with equipment failures. In July 2025, a turbine part of Vineyard Wind off the coast of Massachusetts had one of its turbine blades shred to pieces, dropping debris into the ocean. Vineyard Wind plans to finish construction at years’ end, with 17 of the 62 planned turbines already installed and producing electricity. This brings into question the safety of these offshore turbines, dropping fragments and pollution into the ocean risking the safety of marine life and

human life.

Another blow to the offshore wind industry, as Maersk, a Danish integrated logistics company, canceled a $475 million contract for a US-bound offshore wind vessel, which was supposed to be working on a wind farm off the coast of New York. The company cited delays in construction for the cancellation of the contract. The ship was supposed to be part of Empire Wind, however the project has also been embroiled in scandal with the Trump Administration, also receiving a stop work order in April of 2025. Construction has been allowed to continue after an agreement was reached where a previously planned natural gas pipeline has been allowed to be constructed. 

There is hope for the industry, at least in one state. In 2022, then Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed $35 million in tax breaks for offshore wind companies to develop a domestic supply chain in the state. However, no company has yet to take the tax breaks, signaling that the industry is not as up-and-coming as it seems.

With the future of offshore wind projects in the United States uncertain, the impact to the fight against climate change has faced a massive set back. It is uncertain if these projects will continue to be approved, with wind farms that are under construction having the highest probability of being complete and coming online. Offshore wind development will lag behind the rest of the world, seeing decreasing interest and funding from the federal government.