In a significant legal and political development, the U.S. Department of the Interior has announced that it intends to vacate its approval of the Maryland Offshore Wind Project. This decision comes just weeks after the Department moved to block a major offshore wind project off the coast of Rhode Island, signaling a decisive shift in federal policy toward reevaluating the troubled offshore wind industry.
The announcement came not through a press release or public statement, but on August 22, 2025, the U.S. Attorney General’s office filed a Motion to Stay the ongoing case brought by Delaware homeowner Edward Bintz. In its filing, Interior stated unequivocally that it will be filing that motion no later than September 12:
“Interior intends to move to voluntarily remand and vacate its approval of the Construction and Operations Plan .. for the Maryland Offshore Wind Project.”
This is a powerful admission. It means that the federal government itself now acknowledges that its Maryland project’s approval is flawed and should not stand while the courts deliberate. Interior also noted that allowing litigation to continue without remand would cause “significant hardship” to the government and waste judicial resources, a candid recognition of the fragility of the offshore wind permitting regime.
A Wave of Litigation and Political Opposition
The Deleware case is not an outlier. The litigation over offshore wind has been fierce and growing. We blogged last year, Maryland Offshore Wind Project Faces Legal Storm from Coastal Communities, and the plaintiffs list reads like a who’s who of coastal communities and industries: the Town of Ocean City, the Town of Fenwick Island, Worcester County, the Coastal Association of Realtors of Maryland, the Save Right Whales Association, the Waterman’s Association of Worcester County, the White Marlin Open, Inc., as well as numerous hoteliers, retailers, and business groups.
It is telling that despite repeated assurances from US Wind, the Italian developer behind the Maryland project, that its permits were “legally sound,” the Department of the Interior itself has chosen to pull back. The facts on the ground are otherwise.
Ocean City Declares Victory
Perhaps no voice captures the significance of this development better than Ocean City’s mayor, Rick Meehan. In his statement, Mayor Meehan said:
“President Trump’s decision to move toward revoking US Wind’s federal permit is a very positive development for Ocean City. This action acknowledges the validity of our objections and represents a major step in protecting our community, our coastal environment, our commercial and recreational fishing industries, and the future of Ocean City.”
This is more than a local win; it is a recognition that national energy policy must align with the interests of the communities, in this instance, those most directly impacted by offshore industrialization.
Offshore Wind Is, Indeed, “Really” Dead
Just earlier this month, we blogged Offshore Wind Projects are Now ‘Really’ Dead, before I went to Kyrgyzstan to trek and climb. That observation drew significant criticism during our several week hiatus from blogging, particularly from those insisting that Maryland’s US Wind project would somehow buck the national trend. But with this court filing, Interior itself has confirmed the inevitability: the Maryland project is not going forward.
This development is not merely a setback for one foreign wind turbine developer; it is an unmistakable signal that offshore wind as a national strategy has collapsed under the weight of legal defects, environmental harms, economic reality, and political will.
A Positive Path Forward
For Maryland and its coastal neighbors, this decision deemphasizes climate now articulating the bona fides in national security, artificial intelligence, and the like, in an “all of the above” energy strategy. It is also a reminder that litigation and citizen engagement matter. Coastal communities, through their persistence in the courts and the political process, have achieved what once seemed impossible: halting the advance of massive offshore industrial projects that threatened their heritage and future.
The law is often slow to catch up with public sentiment, but here, the Interior Department’s action reflects both legal prudence and a respect for community concerns. Offshore wind projects may have been billed as progress, but the real progress is in protecting Maryland’s coastlines, economies, and ecosystems for generations to come.
Moreover, it is expected that the U.S. Department of Transportation will before September 12, withdraw $700 Million in funding for offshore wind projects across the country, including more than $47 Million for the Sparrows Point Steel Marshalling Point Project in Baltimore County, where US Wind was going to produce these wind turbines.
As we blogged some weeks ago, offshore wind projects are “really” dead. And now, the federal government has proved that statement to be true.
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Join us for the next in our webinar series at the Intersection of Business, Science, and Law, “How to Order a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment” on Tuesday, September 16 from 9 – 9:30 am. The webinar is complimentary, but you must register here.