Silhouette of wind turbines in the sea during sunset.

EPA begins targeting offshore wind permits, slowing clean energy rollout

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has revoked a key permit for a New Jersey offshore wind project, marking the agency’s first major action under President Trump’s order to halt the expansion of the offshore wind industry.

Clare Fieseler reports for Canary Media.


In short:

  • The EPA revoked a Clean Air Act permit from the Atlantic Shores wind project, citing a Trump executive order to reassess the offshore wind sector.
  • Anti-wind groups are now targeting other projects, including Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts, by filing similar petitions that argue EPA failed to properly estimate emissions during turbine construction.
  • EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is reshaping the agency with proposals to slash funding, eliminate regulations, and reframe the agency's mission around economic affordability, raising concerns about politicization of previously independent environmental review processes.

Key quote:

“Atlantic Shores is disappointed by the EPA’s decision to pull back its fully executed permit as regulatory certainty is critical to deploying major energy projects.”

— Terence Kelly, spokesperson for Atlantic Shores, a wind project slated offshore of the New Jersey coast

Why this matters:

The EPA’s shift under President Trump threatens to derail the offshore wind industry at a time when several coastal states are depending on it to meet emissions targets and stabilize power grids. Offshore wind farms require a tangle of federal permits to proceed, and even projects that already secured those approvals are now vulnerable to reversal. The revocation of Atlantic Shores’ permit may signal broader challenges for renewable energy under a federal administration skeptical of climate-driven energy reforms. The move threatens to ripple well beyond any single installation; it challenges the regulatory continuity that developers need to commit billions in long-term infrastructure.

Related: Opinion: Trump allies aim to take U.S. energy policy back in time

A gleaming glass skyscraper with the word Allianz on the top.

Insurers warn climate change could unravel financial markets and endanger capitalism

A top executive at Allianz says the climate crisis is pushing insurance and broader financial systems toward collapse as rising temperatures and extreme weather make entire regions uninsurable.

Damian Carrington reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
Hands of a man sitting at a desk with a laptop filling out a paper form with a pen.

Lawyers turn to pro bono work to drive climate solutions beyond the courtroom

A growing virtual bootcamp trains legal professionals to support climate initiatives through everything from contracts to corporate advising.

Claire Elise Thompson reports for Grist.

Keep reading...Show less
Wind turbines in the distance with a yellow field in the foreground and a blue sky in the background.

Trump tariffs may raise U.S. wind energy prices and stall project growth

Tariffs proposed by President Trump could raise the cost of building wind power projects in the U.S., threatening the already fragile momentum of the renewable energy sector.

Stanley Reed reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
A sign in front of a Max-Planck Institut building with bushes nearby.
Credit: ginton/BigStock Photo ID: 71957491

Trump’s anti-science agenda is pushing American researchers overseas

A growing number of U.S. scientists are fleeing restrictive policies under Trump and finding support in Europe, where institutions are rolling out the red carpet for displaced talent.

Fred Schwaller reports for DW.

Keep reading...Show less
hands holding food scraps above a green food composting bucket.
Credit: digitalista/BigStock Photo ID: 468529199

New approach to composting in Massachusetts relies on hands-on help, not just rules

In Massachusetts, a state composting mandate for businesses gets a major assist from a down-to-earth consultant who helps restaurants rethink what they throw away.

Somini Sengupta reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
An African man smiles as he stands in front of rural solar infrastructure and water tanks in a golden field.
Credit: Hamish John Appleby / IWMI Flickr Photos

How solar is helping African farmers beat drought and diesel

Solar-powered irrigation is quietly transforming small farms across Africa, helping farmers boost yields, cut costs, and ditch dirty diesel.

Aimable Twahirwa reports for Mongabay.

Keep reading...Show less
A pig on a farm pokes its snout through a rusted cage with more pigs in background.
Credit: Tzido/Big Stock Photo ID: 4126064

Rural families use innovative DNA tool to track pig farm pollution

Communities living near factory farms are using a new scientific tool to track pig feces in their homes — and fight back.

Hana Mensendiek reports for U.S. Right To Know.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

People  sitting in an outdoors table working on a big sign.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

joe biden

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.