Halt Work Orders
Floor Speech
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Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, on August 22, the Trump administration, with absolutely no warning, issued a halt work order to an offshore wind project off the coast of southern New England that has been in the works for 9 years.
The developers of this project have invested close to $4 billion, employed thousands of workers, and installed 45 out of 65 wind turbines that the Federal Government permitted in 2023.
As of August 22, 80 percent of the project is complete, and 100 percent of the turbine foundations have been placed on the ocean floor.
When the turbines are turned on, 704 megawatts of power will be transmitted by cable to Rhode Island and Connecticut. That is enough electricity to power 350,000 homes--400 megawatts to Rhode Island and 304 megawatts to Connecticut.
The wind power contracts approved by both States at a guaranteed rate will over time save money for ratepayers, particularly during cold, winter months, and will add to the grid at a time we all know demand for electricity is going to increase.
Incredibly, the Department of Energy's halt order was one-page long and cited nonspecific, vague ``national security concerns'' as the reason to suddenly eliminate good jobs and a plentiful supply of affordable electricity.
Despite repeated requests from the operators, the two States, and the congressional delegations, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, BOEM, has provided absolutely no description or detail of what exactly are the national security concerns that at this late hour could possibly justify such a drastic action.
The closest thing to an explanation came in a CNN interview with the Secretary of the Interior a few days ago, who cited ``radar interference'' and possible swarm attacks from undersea drones at the wind farm as potential threats.
Madam Speaker, here is the thing: During the yearslong permitting process, BOEM meticulously investigated all national security concerns, and its 2023 Record of Decision approving the project specifically had a section on national security. It specifically addressed the issue of radars which was resolved to the satisfaction of the Department of Defense and NORAD.
Madam Speaker, I have a letter from the Department of Defense dated December 2024, which states that the Department ``has found that construction of the Revolution Wind project . . . would not have adverse impacts to DOD missions in the area.'' I include this letter in the Record. Office of the Assistant Secretary Of Defense, Washington, DC, December 13, 2024. Reference: Federal Aviation Administration Aeronautical Study Number: 2021-WTE-2881-OE and 23 associated structures. Ms. Whitney Marsh, ;rsted, Providence, RI.
Dear Ms. Marsh: Thank you for your participation in the Mitigation Response Team to assess and overcome military impacts from your proposed Revolution Wind project off the coast of Squibnocket Beach in Chilmark, Massachusetts. In a letter dated October 27, 2021, the Department of Defense (DoD) described the potential impacts to military operations for the project.
As a result of discussions between ;rsted and the U.S. Air Force and a resulting mitigation agreement signed by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment on November 4, 2024, the Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse) has found that construction of the Revolution Wind Wind project, with no more than 65 wind turbines up to 873 feet above sea level and no more than two offshore substations up to 228 feet above sea level, would not have adverse impacts to DoD missions in the area.
Our response to the FAA included a notification that additional structure proposals or an increase to the current maximum structure height may present an adverse impact. We encourage you to engage DoD prior to any proposed expansion or height increase.
If you have any concerns, please contact Ms. Robbin Beard, Clearinghouse Deputy Director. Sincerely, Steven J. Sample, Executive Director, Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse.
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Mr. COURTNEY. Regarding the swarming undersea drones, Revolution Wind has a contract with ThayerMahan, a maritime company that installs and operates undersea surveillance technology using sonar rays and pickets to keep watch and detect malign activity. They protect wind farms today. They protect oil rigs today. They protect U.S. maritime ports today with the finest technology.
Madam Speaker, Secretary Burgum and his staff at BOEM should review its own prior investigation on national security and actually meet with the developers and undersea experts in Connecticut and Rhode Island to learn about the thorough, comprehensive investments and systems that were developed with the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure the safe, reliable operation of the wind farms.
Madam Speaker, this halt work order needs to be overturned quickly. As we heard on Friday, the U.S. labor market is weakening, and we know the cost of electricity is going up.
Leaving Revolution Wind in limbo with thousands of jobs on the line is completely unacceptable.
It is no secret that the President doesn't like wind power, but this project has been permanent, paid for, and is 80 percent finished. Leaving the halt work order in place is hurting working families and electric ratepayers.
Lawsuits have been filed, and the U.S. Government and taxpayers are going to pay dearly for this uncalled for about-face on a project that the government approved 2 years ago.
The better path is to quickly lift the order, meet face-to-face with the developer and the Governors of Rhode Island and Connecticut to end this chaos and get the operating engineers, the longshoremen, the laborers, and the electrical workers back on track to finish the job that today is 80 percent finished.
That is not a partisan statement. That is simple common sense.
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