Politics
Whitehouse says federal move against Massachusetts wind permit imperils Senate deal
The Justice Department is asking a federal court to reopen the New England Wind project’s permit, making it the fourth offshore wind project targeted by the Trump administration in recent weeks. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse says the actions could derail a bipartisan permitting proposal that includes expanded support for transmission projects.
WASHINGTON — A Justice Department effort to reopen the permit for the New England Wind project off Massachusetts is putting a bipartisan Senate permitting proposal at risk, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said Wednesday.
The department filed its request in federal court late Tuesday. It is the fourth offshore wind project the Trump administration has targeted in recent weeks, according to the available project information.
Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat and lead negotiator on the Senate proposal, warned that the administration’s actions could undermine the negotiations. “This is how you blow up a permitting deal,” he said.
The proposed Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 emerged as a potential breakthrough earlier this month. It would make it easier to permit transmission projects, a priority for Democrats seeking to expand clean energy, while changing parts of the Clean Water Act and National Environmental Policy Act in ways sought by Republicans seeking to advance fossil fuel projects.
The dispute over offshore wind now puts that compromise under strain. Transmission lines are essential to moving electricity from power projects to customers, and permitting reform has become a point of negotiation between lawmakers with competing energy priorities.