A massive offshore wind project set to be built off the New Jersey coast will be abandoned after its developer had a key Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permit pulled in March, according to multiple reports.
Atlantic Shores filed to cancel its contract with New Jersey utility regulators to provide electricity to the state on June 4, according to multiple reports. The company cited EPA’s decision to pull its permit and President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking permits for new offshore wind projects as major factors in its decision to walk away from the project, according to E&E News.
Had it been completed, the Atlantic Shores project was projected to power almost a million homes in the New Jersey area using up to 200 massive offshore wind turbines, according to Bloomberg.
“Offshore wind continues to offer New Jersey a strong value proposition that includes thousands of good paying jobs, stable power prices, and real economic benefits,” Atlantic Shores CEO Joris Veldhoven told The Press of Atlantic City, a local news outlet.
Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy characterized the project as a “major component of achieving our goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050, while providing significant opportunities and economic benefits for our state” in 2021.
Former President Joe Biden pushed for a massive buildout of offshore wind during his term in the White House, but several of the projects his administration backed have since failed or been abandoned by developers thanks largely to substandard economic conditions and the Trump administration’s completely different regulatory approach to the industry. Among the dead projects were two major developments off the New Jersey coast that a company called Orsted hoped to complete, but the firm pulled the plug on the two projects in October 2023.
President Donald Trump overturned multiple Biden-era green energy policies and initiatives, which included effectively declaring war against the offshore wind industry immediately upon taking office in January.
Between 2023 and 2025, protests surged over offshore wind farms due to concerns about high-voltage cables running through residential areas, as well as dead whales and dolphins washing up along the East Coast. Additionally, wind turbines off New England’s coast have malfunctioned and shed debris into the ocean, raising environmentalists’ concerns about harm to marine life.
Fishermen in the area have also spoken out against offshore wind initiatives, arguing it is impossible for their industry to thrive with the presence of offshore wind turbines.
Though Trump has moved against offshore wind expansion, Democratic leadership still supports the technology. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul kept her state’s Empire Wind project alive in May, reportedly in exchange for working with the Trump administration to advance fossil fuel pipelines in the state, though Hochul’s office denies making such a deal.
Atlantic Shores, Murphy’s office and the White House did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
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