INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
It's notable that this hold comes despite Trump's executive order explicitly stating, "Nothing in this withdrawal [of future leasing]
affects rights under existing leases in the withdrawn areas."The order alleged there were "various alleged legal deficiencies underlying the
response to those allegations, the Government Accountability Office began an evaluation of the Department of the Interior's activities in
overseeing offshore wind development
The results of that were made public on Monday.And the report only found minor issues
Its primary recommendations are that Interior improve its consultations with leaders of tribal communities that may be impacted by wind
development and boost "incorporation of Indigenous knowledge." The GAO also thinks that Interior should improve its methods of getting input
from the fishing industry
The report also acknowledges that there are uncertainties about everything from invasive species to the turbines' effect on navigational
radar but says these will vary based on a wind farm's site, size, and other features, and we'll only have a clearer picture once we have
built more of them.Notably, it says that wind farm development has had no effect on the local whale population, a popular Republican
criticism of offshore wind.Trump's animosity toward wind power has a long history, so it's unlikely that this largely positive report will
do much to get the hold on leasing lifted
In reality, however, the long-term uncertainty about offshore wind in the US will probably block new developments until the end of Trump's
Offshore wind companies have budgeted based on tax incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, and the administration has suggested they may
revoke those in future budgets
And the move by Burgum means that, even if a company clears all the leasing and improvement hurdles, the government may shut down a project
for seemingly arbitrary reasons.
