08/10/2026
PRESS STATEMENT
For immediate release: August 6, 2026
For more information, contact:
Julie Tighe, NY League of Conservation Voters. 518-330-4812
Adrienne Esposito, Citizens Campaign for the Environment 631-384-1378
Environmentalists Slam President Trump’s Waste of Taxpayer Dollars in
Order to Stop Offshore Wind
Buy-outs of offshore wind leases, most recently from RWE, are wasting billions of our tax dollars while leaving ordinary Americans with worse air quality, higher bills, and less energy security.
Farmingdale, NY – The Trump Administration is buying back offshore wind leases from developer RWE Offshore for $1.22 billion. The company has announced they will instead be investing that money in fossil fuel projects. This is the latest buyback and yet another attempt by the Trump Administration to cease America’s emerging offshore wind industry in favor of advancing polluting fossil fuels.
This latest deal comes at a time when we face rising energy costs and increasing energy demand. The administration has already spent nearly $4 billion of taxpayer money on buying back offshore wind leases, ensuring worsening fossil fuel pollution, energy instability, and the vast impacts of climate change. Since energy projects take many years to permit and build, these decisions also signal uncertainty throughout the entire domestic energy sector, as we have now seen how large-scale infrastructure projects can be politicized and undermined by a sitting President at any time.
Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, issued the following statement:
“This is the latest attack on offshore wind by a President who is clearly making our nation’s energy decisions based on his own personal whims, resentments, and conspiracy theories. The world is on fire, and President Trump is fanning the flames in order to support his fossil fuel friends. Here in New York, we are on the front lines of climate change. We are facing an energy shortage as we manage hotter summers and more extreme storms. Average families are struggling to afford electric bills. We risk brownouts and blackouts during periods of high energy demand.
At the same time, we are clearly seeing the benefits of offshore wind. South Fork Wind, America’s first commercial offshore wind farm, has helped keep electricity rates stable for Long Islanders, kept the lights on during peak demand, boosted our economy, and created good local jobs. New Yorkers know that offshore wind must be a crucial part of our energy mix, and that the Trump Administration canceling offshore wind leases off our coast will cause more fossil fuel pollution, more respiratory illness, and higher electricity bills. Decisions like these offshore wind buybacks only serve to keep us addicted to fossil fuels.”
Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters, issued the following statement:
“The Western United States and Europe are on fire, rivers and lakes are drying up, populations are increasing, and energy demand is on the rise. It is clear we need more energy than ever before, yet the president is spending American tax dollars to stop domestic production. Fossil fuel costs are soaring, yet the president targets wind projects which have already proven capable of delivering the energy we need efficiently and effectively. And as foreign wars, contested shipping lanes, and oil cartels continue to strangle our energy supply and drive-up costs, the president is taking active measures to strangle domestic energy production and the local jobs that come with it. It’s time to break the cycle of addiction to fossil fuels, to prioritize the health of Americans over Big Oil, and to usher in a new era of domestic energy dominance.”
Adrienne Esposito
Executive Director
Citizens Campaign for the Environment
225A Main Street
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Office 516-390-7150
Cell 631-384-1378