Trump team reviews rules for ‘unreliable’ and ‘foreign-controlled’ offshore wind

In a statement, the Department said it is doing so “to ensure alignment with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and America’s energy priorities under President Donald Trump.”

The Department said the effort includes reviewing the Renewable Energy Modernization Rule, as well as financial assurance requirements and decommissioning cost estimates for offshore wind projects, to ensure federal regulations do not provide preferential treatment for what it described as “unreliable, foreign-controlled energy sources over dependable, American-made energy.”

The review, led by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement will consider updates to rules under 30 CFR parts 585, 586 and 285. 

The Department’s action supports Secretary’s Order 3437, Ending Preferential Treatment for Unreliable, Foreign-Controlled Energy Sources in Department Decision-Making, Secretary’s Order 3438, Managing Federal Energy Resources and Protecting the Environment, and President Trump’s memorandum on wind energy signed on 20 January 2025. 

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the Department said it is “fully committed to making sure that offshore energy development reflects President Trump’s America First Energy Dominance agenda and the real-world demands of today’s global energy landscape.

“We’re taking a results-driven approach that prioritises reliability, strengthens national security and upholds both scientific integrity and responsible environmental stewardship,” Mr Burgum claimed.

The Department said the effort also supports Executive Order 14315, which directs agencies to identify and eliminate what it claimed was “favouritism toward unreliable energy sources.”

The Department has paused approvals for offshore wind projects, including leases, permits, rights-of-way and loans, in compliance with the Presidential Memorandum on wind energy, while it conducts a review of offshore wind energy projects and their impact on the environment, national security and the economy.