Shell exec warns attacks on US offshore wind threaten future oil and gas investment

A Shell executive cautioned that the Trump Administration’s efforts to stymie fully permitted renewable projects could be “very damaging” to investment in future US oil and gas projects.

“I think uncertainty in the regulatory environment is very damaging”, Shell USA president, Colette Hirstius told the Financial Times.

Ms Hirstius pointed out in her interview that the administration is establishing the case for future Democratic administrations to take similar actions against oil and gas development.

“However far the pendulum swings one way, it’s likely that it’s going to swing just as far the other way,” she said.

Shell is one of the largest offshore oil and gas investors in the US Gulf, and globally sells about 66M tonnes per annum (mta) of LNG.

Ms Hirstius’s comments follow a full review of offshore wind energy regulations launched by the Department of Interior (DOI) in August. The review is aimed at ensuring the regulations align with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and President Trump’s executive orders on offshore wind.

In August, the administration issued a stop work order to Revolution Wind and in September sought to pull a critical permit for Maryland Offshore Wind. While Ørsted has since been given the green light to restart work at Revolution Wind, the stoppage resulted in significant financial losses for the Danish energy developer.

US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum made the administration’s position on offshore wind very clear during a recent press conference at a trade fair for the natural gas and LNG industry in September.

“There is not a future for offshore wind because it’s too expensive and not reliable enough,” Secretary Burgum said at Gastech 2025 in Milan. The Secretary said this was made clear when the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was passed in July.