Top Maryland Democrats are coming out in full force to support a massive offshore wind project currently tied up in federal court.
Baltimore-based US Wind has faced an onslaught of challenges in recent months keeping the company from starting construction on a 114-turbine wind farm off the coast of Ocean City, which is estimated to generate enough power for 718,000 Maryland homes.
In October 2024, the Town of Ocean City and numerous plaintiffs representing the fishing and tourism industry filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), challenging the federal permit approval process for US Wind’s project.
This September, the Trump administration asked the court to vacate the project’s Construction and Operations Plan — approved under the Biden administration — and send it back to BOEM for reevaluation, signaling plans to reverse approvals of the necessary permits.
If the court approves such a move, Ocean City’s lawsuit could become moot.
US Wind filed a crossclaim, arguing the federal government’s intent to "vacate and undermine the federal approvals” are tied to “a wider plan to hinder or kill outright offshore wind projects for political purposes.”
Earlier this month, US Wind also filed for a preliminary injunction to prevent the federal government from revoking the permits, arguing such a move could bankrupt the company.
The Trump administration’s attempt to revoke the permits follows a federal executive order signed in January that directs agencies to review previously approved offshore wind projects and temporarily halt all offshore wind energy leasing within the Offshore Continental Shelf.
Friday, Maryland U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Jonny Olszewski joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 24 in showing support for US Wind’s project.
While the Trump administration argues the permits were granted without properly weighing environmental and commercial impacts, Van Hollen believes the opposition comes down to fossil fuel interests.
“What you're seeing from President Trump in the White House right now is a tip of the hat to the Big Oil guys. They don't like the competition from clean energy, including offshore energy,” Van Hollen said.
Olszewski raised concerns over what revoking those permits and ultimately delaying or canceling the project could have on the region’s economy and energy crisis.
“Pulling the plug on offshore wind is a direct assault on American jobs. It's an attack on our national energy security, and it's an assault on the affordability that Maryland families and American families need so desperately right now,” the congressman said.
Maryland has set an ambitious target of 8,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy generation by 2031 — US Wind’s project could help accomplish roughly a quarter of those generation goals.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown also reiterated support for the project Wednesday, filing an amicus brief advocating for the approval of US Wind’s request for a preliminary injunction.
“Maryland has spent years building our offshore wind future, but the Trump administration's actions threaten that progress and the thousands of jobs this project would create," Brown said in a statement. “We're filing this brief to defend critical investments in Maryland communities, good-paying jobs for Marylanders, and the clean energy our families need as electricity demand and utility costs continue rising."
The Trump administration dealt another blow to US Wind back in August when it cancelled $679 million for offshore wind projects.
The funding withdrawal did not cut money allocated for the project directly but instead revoked a federal grant that was intended to fund construction for the new steel fabrication facility Sparrows Point Steel.
The proposed long-term monopile production facility at Sparrows Point in Baltimore would be specifically equipped for producing materials for the Maryland offshore wind project.
Despite losing the grant, US Wind says it will continue to move forward with the $400 million facility.
The future of the project also rests in the hands of the Delaware Superior Court, where US Wind is appealing a decision from a county council to deny a permit needed to build an electrical substation in Delaware where the generated power would connect to the regional grid.
Ocean City is also challenging an air pollution permit tied to the project issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment.
As US Wind awaits a variety of legal decisions, the Trump administration continues its fight against offshore wind projects across the coast.
BOEM issued a stop-work order to a Rhode Island offshore wind project in August, but a federal judge ruled in late September that construction could resume while the Trump administration’s lawsuit to fully halt the project continues.
