On Oct. 9, the United States Department of the Interior submitted a federal court filing attempting to rescind approval for Revolution Wind, an offshore wind farm located off the coast of Rhode Island that aims to provide affordable renewable energy to Rhode Island and Connecticut.
In their filing, the Department of the Interior argues that “the Court should remand the Department of the Interior’s approval of the Construction and Operations Plan for Revolution Wind so that Interior can re-evaluate its compliance with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.”
In an Oct. 26 filing, attorneys for Revolution Wind called the move an “about-face” decision and an “untimely change in position.” They added that the department’s “improper, untimely and prejudicial requested remand and reconsideration of the Project’s COP approval threaten the Project and Revolution Wind’s significant investments in it.”
Revolution Wind has asked for an extended deadline to respond to the government’s claims if the court accepts the government’s Oct. 9 motion and its earlier request to extend a Sept. 25 deadline for summary judgement.
The project’s COP was initially approved by the department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in 2023.
But according to the filing, the U.S. Department of the Interior believes that the documents used to justify BOEM’s approval of the Revolution Wind construction plan three years ago “do not adequately explain how Revolution Wind’s potential moderate to major adverse impacts” are consistent with the mandates in the OCSLA.
According to a statement shared by by the U.S. Department of the Interior to The Herald, “the Department of War identified serious national security risks that demanded immediate attention.” The department wrote that its settlements “went through the appropriate channels” and received approval from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Trump administration will not permit “reckless projects” to raise utility costs, compromise energy systems and cause “unnecessary harm to the environment,” added the department.
This is not the first time this compliance concern has been raised. In 2024, Green Oceans — a nonprofit founded in 2023 in response to plans for the development of offshore wind — filed a complaint about Revolution Wind’s compliance with OCSLA, raising concerns with the project’s risks for marine life and danger for humans operating nearby. Green Oceans’s complaint was dismissed in 2025, and Revolution Wind continued construction of the wind farm.
Later in 2025, BOEM forced Revolution Wind to halt construction due to national security concerns, although a federal judge allowed the project to resume construction in January.
Despite these setbacks, Revolution Wind has now “recently completed offshore construction,” according to Ørsted, the company spearheading the Revolution Wind project. They added that the wind farm has “been delivering power to the grid since earlier this year.”
Ørsted declined to comment on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s attempt to remand approval for the project’s construction.
The department’s recent court filing “should not be misconstrued as a shift in the Department’s approach to offshore wind,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of the Interior wrote in an email to The Herald. “Our position has remained consistent throughout this administration,” they added. According to the department, the filing is an attempt to comply with an existing policy.
“Congress enacted OCSLA to protect the interests of all Americans who depend on the Outer Continental Shelf,” wrote Green Oceans Trustee Barbara Chapman P’18 P’20 in a press release provided to The Herald. The Department of the Interior “has a duty to uphold those statutory protections,” she added. According to the statement, Green Oceans “welcomes” the department’s attempt to remove approval of the offshore wind farm.
Bianca Sanchez, spokesperson for grassroots environmental nonprofit the Sierra Club’s Rhode Island Chapter, wrote that “halting Revolution Wind would be a serious setback for Rhode Island's energy and environmental goals.”
“Revolution Wind represents an important opportunity to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, diversify our energy supply (and) create good-paying jobs,” Sanchez wrote. “Offshore wind is essential to Rhode Island's clean energy future.”
At full capacity, Revolution Wind is expected to generate enough clean energy to power over 350,000 households across New England, with 400 megawatts of wind power going to Rhode Island alone. Revolution Wind’s construction, operations and related activities have created over 2,000 jobs, according to Ørsted.
Sanchez acknowledged the possible environmental impacts of offshore wind construction, which include underwater noise, sea floor disruption and impacts on marine life.
“We believe the long-term environmental benefits of responsibly developed offshore wind substantially outweigh its potential negative impacts,” she wrote, noting climate change, ocean warming and ocean acidification as potential consequences of prolonged reliance on fossil fuels.
She added that it would be “deeply counterproductive” for the project to be halted due to compliance concerns after “after its turbines have already been installed and much of the construction-related environmental disturbance has already occurred.”
The U.S. Department of the Interior did not respond to further requests for comment.
Royce Lamberth, a district court judge for the District of Columbia who is presiding over the court filing, has not yet ruled on the department’s motion.
Pavani Durbhakula is a Metro editor. She is a junior from DC and is studying IAPA and Public Health. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading and searching for new coffee shops.
