Attorneys General Neronha and Tong sue Trump Administration over Revolution Wind stop-work order

Rhode Island is suing Trump again, this time over King Donald's decision to kill nearly completed wind farm

Steve Ahlquist

"And I said 'windmills cause cancer'"

“We’re here to announce the filing of a lawsuit against the Trump Administration here in Federal District Court in Rhode Island in connection with the administration’s abrupt shutdown of the Revolution Wind Project off the coast of Rhode Island on August 22,” said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha at a press conference in his Providence office. See: “This is bullshit.” Labor & political leaders oppose Trump’s Revolution Wind stop-work order

Attorneys General Neronha and William Tong of Connecticut intend to sue the Trump Administration to overturn the stop-work order issued on August 22, 2025, which halted the construction of Revolution Wind. The project is approximately 80% finished and was on track to be completed in 2026, when it would immediately begin providing a significant source of clean, renewable energy to the two states.

On August 22, 2025, the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) issued a stop-work order to Revolution Wind without identifying any violation of law or imminent threat to safety. The order abstractly cites BOEM’s authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), ordering the stop so that the agency may address unidentified concerns.

“It’s really a story of numbers,” continued Attorney General Neronha, “numbers that have already been reported by all the media members in this room. We know how much energy the project’s going to generate. Clean, reliable, renewable energy of 704 megawatts, 400 for Rhode Island, 304 for Connecticut. It’ll power 350,000 homes.

“It will enhance the reliability of our grid. I thought it was extraordinary that ISO New England said what it did about how important this project is to the reliability of our energy grid when the need for energy is at its peak. That’s probably explained in some way by the fact that, because of AI, which I have mixed feelings about, and other things, our demand for energy is increasing, where it had been stable for some time.

“This project is important, beneficial, clean, renewable, and most importantly, for purposes of this lawsuit, it is a project that is 80% done.”

Located fifteen nautical miles off the coast of Rhode Island, Revolution Wind is a wind energy facility expected to deliver enough electricity to the New England grid to power 350,000 homes, or 2.5 percent of the region’s electricity supply, beginning in 2026. Revolution Wind is projected to save Connecticut and Rhode Island ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars over 20 years.

Approximately 80% complete, the project has been vetted and approved through every layer of the federal and state regulatory process, and is supported by binding contracts and legal mandates. Revolution Wind is an integral part of Rhode Island’s statutory mandates set by the legislature in the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Standard in 2004, as amended in 2022, and in the 2021 Act on Climate. Revolution Wind is expected to reduce Rhode Island’s greenhouse gas emissions by 11 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, a very significant reduction.

“From where I stand, those projects are really important, and we have begun, if not built, an industry here in Rhode Island that can continue to grow and provide jobs for Rhode Islanders and build our economy, and through the building of that economy, fix a lot of the problems we’re facing here in Rhode Island,” continued Attorney General Neronha. “Better, higher-paying jobs mean better access to healthcare. It means better access to housing. We’re on the cusp of building that industry, and the President abruptly halted it, unlawfully.

“What stands out most about this project, even if you’re looking at it in a vacuum, is that it is 80% done. 45 of 65 turbines have been installed, and all the foundations for the turbines have been installed. The cabling is largely done. 90% of the facility at Quonset, where the electricity will come on shore, is done. That creates a reliance interest, separate and apart from the company, Ørsted. They have their own interests to pursue. This is about what Rhode Islanders need, what Rhode Islanders are relying on, and what Rhode Islanders are counting on.”

“I’ll digress just a bit,” said Attorney General Neronha. “I hear a lot about how many lawsuits we have filed on behalf of Rhode Islanders against this administration. I don’t keep track of the number of cases. We keep track of the cases, but not the numbers. What matters to me is whether the Trump Administration has violated the law, whether Rhode Islanders have been harmed, and whether we have legal standing. To date, we have recovered nearly $650 million for Rhode Islanders, which we would’ve lost had this office not taken action. $650 million. That’s the number Rhode Islanders should think about when they think about whether these lawsuits have had an impact. Not how many lawsuits there are, but how many dollars we brought back. And there are more dollars in the pipeline.”

“I’ll briefly mention what the claims are about,” said Attorney General Neronha, back on topic. “It’s basically that you can’t run a government like a yo-yo. The President may be like a yo-yo, bouncing back and forth between positions, whether it be tariffs, foreign policy, or anything else. And if he wants to behave like a yo-yo, that’s up to him. But you can’t run a government that way. That’s what the Administrative Procedures Act and other federal statutes are about: Decision-making has to be rational because not only Rhode Islanders but also the industry relies on predictability and rationality. Stopping the project at this point is hardly rational.

“That’s not how agency action is supposed to work. You make a decision, explain why you made the decision, explain how the law and the facts come together, and then a court can review it.”

The complaint, filed today against the Department of the Interior, BOEM, and their appointed leaders, alleges that such arbitrary and capricious government conduct violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the government’s authority under OCSLA.

Both laws “demand reasoned decision-making, fidelity to statutory limits, and respect for the settled expectations of sovereign States and regulated parties.” The Complaint further states that Rhode Island and Connecticut “seek to restore the rule of law, protect their energy and economic interests, and ensure that the federal government honors its commitments.”

The complaint asks that the court declare the stop-work order unlawful and block the Trump Administration from halting Revolution Wind’s development.

“Those of us who believe in renewable clean energy hear a lot that this will cost Rhode Islanders more,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Just the opposite. Stable energy prices will cost Rhode Islanders less in the long run. What we see every year are spikes in our energy costs. Oil and gas prices spike. Wind energy is reliable, and it’s because of that stability and reliability that Rhode Islanders should count on this project and others that are following in its wake, so they can rely on renewable, clean energy that will keep prices for energy stable.”

Questions from the reporters are in this footnote¹

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