NARRAGANSETT, Rhode Island ‒ Dozens of union construction workers are bobbing on boats 15 miles off the coast, killing time playing video games, texting their families and trying to figure out why President Donald Trump has put them out of work.
The White House on Aug. 22 abruptly halted the nearly complete 65-turbine Revolution Wind project in the Atlantic Ocean, leaving developers and construction workers wondering how to proceed. The decision has pitted environmental groups and union workers against some members of the local fishing industry, along with green-energy critics.
For the union members hoping to get back to work, Trump’s action makes no sense: After more than a decade of planning, permitting, approvals, reviews and lawsuits, the privately funded Revolution Wind project is 80% done, ready to power an estimated 350,000 homes with the 704-megawatt field of turbines. It’s the kind of construction work that provides six-figure jobs for skilled laborers while helping produce inexpensive carbon-free energy for consumers.
“A lot of building trades workers, a lot of union workers, voted for Donald Trump and his team. But they didn’t vote to have union jobs shut down,” said Patrick Crowley, the president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, which represents the contractors. “It shouldn’t work like this.”
Differing opinions on wind farms
The halt has drawn condemnation from local elected officials but support from commercial fishers who say the project has screwed up squid, cod and scallop harvests in the area.
Public officials supported the wind farm in large part because Rhode Island has the ambitious clean energy goal of getting 100% of its electricity from renewables by 2033. But fishing groups say the project is hurting their bottom lines and could be affecting the endangered North Atlantic right whales.
“Save our fishing grounds from offshore wind. All of them,” Meghan Lapp, fisheries liaison for North Kingstown-based seafood distributor Seafreeze said at an Aug. 26 news conference. “You’ve started with Revolution Wind, and for that we are grateful. Now, go down the list because it’s long, and you are our only chance.”
Trump doesn’t like wind energy
Trump has long been hostile to wind farms, and has previously asserted without evidence that they cause cancer. He also finds them “ugly,” has said coal and nuclear power is a better option for the country and suggested that wind turbines cause more bird deaths than pollution from coal-fired power plants.
Trump has also criticized the lifespan of fiberglass turbine blades, called green power “precariously inadequate,” and ordered his administration to investigate the national security implications of foreign-made turbine parts. In addition to Revolution Wind, the White House has also blocked several other planned large-scale wind farms and halted grants for rooftop solar installations.
“These policy changes represent a commonsense approach to energy that puts Americans’ interests first,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said last month in announcing some of the project halts. “Leveling the playing field in permitting supports energy development that’s reliable, affordable, and built to last.”
The rapid-fire pace at which the White House has killed or blocked green power projects has left environmental groups reeling. Many had hoped that Trump would allow green power projects to continue if they were already under construction, and the Revolution halt has rattled them.
Wind and solar were the fastest-growing energy sectors
Wind and solar power are two of the fastest-growing energy sectors in the United States and produced as much as 17% of the country’s electricity last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the statistical agency of the Department of Energy.
The Trump halts to clean energy projects come as global warming and the needs of artificial intelligence and data centers are pushing power consumption to all-time highs. In July, the United States set a new single-day electricity consumption record of 758,149 megawatt-hours. Of that power, natural gas provided the largest amount at 45% of the total, according to the EIA. Coal was the next-largest source, at 17%, while nuclear represented 13%. Solar accounted for 11%, while wind and hydropower each provided 5%.
“Pulling the plug sends a chilling signal to investors and developers that the U.S. cannot be relied upon to honor its commitments, even when projects are 80% built,” said the American Council on Renewable Energy in a statement. “While China outspends us four-to-one on new energy and transmission infrastructure to power its AI-driven economy, the U.S. is stopping a fully permitted, privately capitalized project that would strengthen our energy security. That is a dangerous path. Investors, workers, and ratepayers deserve better.”
Waiting and wondering offshore
Back offshore, the union workers are waiting to see what happens next. Revolution Wind backers are expected to file a legal challenge to the White House halt, and the workers are cooling their heels while the battle plays out ashore. Such breaks aren’t unexpected; they had a short halt recently while Hurricane Erin churned past, kicking up big waves.
But watching their unfinished work sit among the swells is grating, Crowley said. For those workers, it’s like hearing about former President Joe Biden killing the Keystone XL Pipeline all over again. The workers typically work three weeks on, then two weeks off, and the next shift change is expected Aug. 28.
“For our folks, this is work, this is make or break for them,” Crowley said. “When you get a chance to work on a project that’s going to be around for months at a time, that provides you and your family such a sense of stability. And to have this happen? I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Contributed: Elizabeth Weise
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why did Trump halt their project? These union workers want answers
