Ross, Carbajal, Panetta, Scott Lead Investigation into Trump Admin’s $2 Billion Payout to Energy Companies to Halt Offshore Wind Projects

Washington, D.C. - Today, Representatives Deborah Ross (NC-02), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), and Bobby Scott (VA-03) led their colleagues in demanding answers from the Trump administration about nearly $2 billion in payouts to energy companies to terminate offshore wind projects. The lawmakers outlined how these payments appear to demonstrate a concerted effort to bribe companies to abandon the offshore wind energy market.

The lawmakers emphasized Trump's history of clear favoritism toward the fossil fuel industry as further evidence of his administration's attempts to undermine the offshore wind energy industry:

"On your first day in office, you directed agencies not to issue new approvals, rights of way, permits, leases, or loans for onshore or offshore wind projects pending review," they wrote. "A federal judge later struck down this permitting halt as unlawful and arbitrary, finding that your administration had failed to provide reasoned explanations for these actions. When you were unable to muster a sound legal defense of your administration's actions, you immediately pivoted to this payment scheme."

They went on to outline how these transactions may violate federal law:

"You have furnished these reimbursements through the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Judgment Fund, which was created to pay valid judgements and settlements where the United States is the defendant. The details of these agreements make clear that your payment structure does not meet the statutory requirements governing use of the Judgment Fund."

The members are demanding answers about these payments, including the following questions:

• Did the President personally direct, approve, encourage, or participate in discussions concerning the termination of offshore wind leases or any requirement that leaseholders redirect capital into oil, gas, LNG, or other fossil-fuel projects?
• Did any administration official communicate with fossil-fuel executives, trade associations, lobbyists, donors, campaign officials, transition officials, or outside political advisers about using taxpayer funds to cancel offshore wind projects or redirect private capital into fossil-fuel projects?
• Did any person or entity that stood to benefit from the agreement make, solicit, bundle, discuss, or promise campaign contributions, political expenditures, inaugural contributions, business opportunities, or other things of value connected to the administration or its allies?

The letter is also signed by the following lawmakers: Representatives Nanette Barragán, Sean Casten, Joe Courtney, Mike Quigley, Paul Tonko, Jennifer McClellan, Valerie Foushee, John Garamendi, Mike Levin, Chellie Pingree, and Shri Thanedar.

Full text of the letter is available here.

In addition to being a Co-Chair of the Congressional Offshore Wind Caucus, Congresswoman Ross is the Ranking Member of the Energy Subcommittee on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Offshore wind development has been one of her signature issues in Congress, including successfully pushing to repeal the 10-year offshore wind leasing moratorium off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida through the Inflation Reduction Act.

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