NEWPORT – Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha says that he’s been in touch with his counterpart in Connecticut over possible legal proceedings in response to the Trump administration’s Aug. 22 order that stopped work on Revolution Wind, a 65-turbine offshore wind farm that has contracts to sell power to the two states.
“When there’s a project that’s 80% done, that’s going to deliver energy to hundreds of thousands of homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island, there’s a reliance interest there on behalf of the states,” he said in an interview after a pro-wind rally in Newport on Tuesday, Aug. 26. “The states are certainly implicated here in a way that in my view violates the law.”
Neronha said that he and other lawyers in his office had a phone call earlier in the day with Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and his staff about potentially filing suit against the federal government.
“The message was, as states we need to do something,” he said. “We need to do something in the forum in which we can actually have an impact, which is in the courtroom. We have great legal teams and we’re going to start working on that very thing.”
RI Attorney General Peter Neronha speaks at a pro-wind rally in Newport about possible legal proceedings to fight an order from the Trump administration stopping work on Revolution Wind, a multibillion-dollar offshore wind farm near Rhode Island.
Neronha points to region’s reliance on future power from Revolution Wind
Neronha spoke to The Journal after delivering remarks at a rally in Queen Anne’s Square that was organized by Climate Action Rhode Island in support of the wind farm, which is seen as vital to meeting state mandates to slash emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases.
More than 100 people attended, including several state lawmakers who urged support for the project, which had 46 of its turbines in place when the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ordered a halt to all offshore construction.
Neronha said that at the crux of the issue are the long-term contracts agreed to years ago for electric consumers in Connecticut and Rhode Island to buy power from the 704-megawatt wind farm that, until the stop-work order, was set to go into operation in the second half of next year. The states are relying on that energy to meet demand, he said.
He pointed to an Aug. 25 statement from the nonprofit that operates the New England electric grid, which raised concerns that delaying the wind farm “will increase risks to reliability.”
“Unpredictable risks and threats to resources – regardless of technology – that have made significant capital investments, secured necessary permits, and are close to completion will stifle future investments, increase costs to consumers, and undermine the power grid’s reliability and the region’s economy now and in the future,” Independent System Operator New England said.
The organization assigned Revolution Wind what’s known as a capacity supply obligation starting in winter 2026. Such obligations are critical for electric systems as they forecast future demand and figure out available supplies.
“When projects like Revolution Wind have met every legal requirement, secured financing, and obtained a Capacity Supply Obligation to support reliability, they should not face the rules being changed midstream,” said Dan Dolan, president of the New England Power Generators Association, which represents companies that provide 95 percent of the generating capacity in the region. “Actions like this erode investor confidence and jeopardize long-term electric reliability in the region.”
The order comes amid efforts to diversify energy sources in New England, which is largely reliant on natural gas for power generation and is facing constraints on pipeline capacity. Total energy costs in the region this past spring increased by 67% from spring 2024, primarily because natural gas prices more than doubled year-over-year, according to ISO-NE.
Power supply contracts for Revolution Wind were signed six years ago
Rhode Island Energy, the largest energy utility in Rhode Island, signed a contract with Revolution Wind to buy Rhode Island’s share of power from the wind farm in February 2019. The state Public Utilities Commission approved the 20-year agreement for 400 megawatts of capacity that May.
According to data filed with the commission, Revolution Wind is projected to generate about a fifth of Rhode Island’s electricity on an annual basis. In winter, when peak usage drops and winds generally pick up, the project may be able to meet a quarter of demand during some periods of time.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ordered work on the wind farm suspended while it conducted a review related to what it described as national security issues. It hasn’t specified what those issues are.
Revolution Wind is located in the same area of waters in Rhode Island Sound as the South Fork Wind Farm, which has been in operation since 2023 and supplies power to Long Island. That project has not been targeted by any orders by the federal government. Neither has Vineyard Wind, which is still under construction south of Martha’s Vineyard.
In the spring, the Trump administration ordered a stop to Empire Wind off New York, but reversed course a month later after reportedly winning concessions on natural gas pipelines from the state.
At a televised meeting with his Cabinet on Aug. 26, President Trump touted the benefits of coal – “we call it clean coal, even very clean coal,” he said – as well as other fossil fuels and nuclear power, but he derided wind turbines as “ugly,” saying, “they’re ruining our country.”
“We’re not allowing any windmills to go up unless it’s a legal situation where someone committed to it a very long time ago,” he said.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI may sue Trump over halting of Revolution Wind offshore wind project