Withdrawal of Outer Continental Shelf Areas From Offshore Wind Leasing
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Memorandum 2025-01966 withdrawing all areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from federal offshore wind energy leasing and directing a review of federal leasing and permitting practices for wind projects. The memorandum halts new offshore wind lease sales and suspends the federal permitting process for wind development on federal waters. The action directly stops the federal government's ability to issue new offshore wind leases and slows ongoing wind project permitting reviews.