WASHINGTON — The US Interior Department announced Monday that it was immediately pausing leases for five offshore wind farms “due to national security risks identified by the Department of War in recently completed classified reports.
The renewable energy projects included the Rhode Island-headquartered Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, and Sunrise Wind, a commercial wind farm in Virginia and New York City’s Empire Wind — several of which had gotten either funding or regulatory boosts from the Biden administration.
Unclassified reports have previously cited radar interference, also known as “clutter,” prompting false alarms due to “the movement of massive turbine blades and the highly reflective towers” of the wind farms,” the Interior Department noted in a press release.
In some cases, radar would also “miss actual targets.”
“The prime duty of the United States government is to protect the American people,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said.
“Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers,” he added.
“The Trump administration will always prioritize the security of the American people.”
