California Energy Commission Issues Subpoena to Golden State Wind

For Immediate Release: May 4, 2026

SACRAMENTO - Today, the California Energy Commission announced that it has issued an administrative investigative subpoena to Golden State Wind LLC seeking documents and information related to the company's recent agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior to accept a payout in exchange for voluntarily abandoning its offshore wind lease.

"The Trump Administration is recklessly spending billions of taxpayer dollars on backroom deals that would turn back the clock on innovation" said CEC Chair David Hochschild. "Californians deserve immediate answers about the nature of this payout. Taxpayer dollars should be used to build a sustainable energy future, not to pay to make projects disappear."

According to the Department of the Interior, Golden State Wind has agreed to voluntarily relinquish its offshore wind lease located in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area off the Central California coast (Lease OCS-P 0564) and forgo future offshore wind projects in the United States. In exchange, Golden State Wind will receive a $120 million payout from the federal government after making an equivalent investment in U.S. oil and gas projects outside of California.

At this time, no additional information has been made available to California or the public about the details of the lease buyout deal between Golden State Wind and the federal government. The CEC is requesting the agreement and other information from Golden State Wind, including the basis for the agreement and representations it made to the federal government during the development of this agreement, as part of an investigation.

The administrative investigative subpoena is available here.

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About the California Energy Commission
The California Energy Commission is the state's primary energy policy and planning agency. It has seven core responsibilities: advancing state energy policy, encouraging energy efficiency, certifying power plants, investing in energy innovation, developing renewable energy, transforming transportation, and preparing for energy emergencies.