The Trump Administration has filed a request to a federal court to vacate a permit approved for US Wind’s proposed Maryland Offshore Wind project.
According to court documents, the project, cleared by the administration of former US president Joe Biden, could create issues with search and rescue operations and commercial fisheries. It was expected to generate enough electricity to power 718,000 homes.
The action was filed in the US District Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore. Plaintiffs in the case include the mayor and city council of Ocean City, as well as other local municipalities, businesses and environmental groups.
In justifying its motion, the administration stated that the project’s approval had relied on the Biden-era interpretation of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which granted the government broad discretion in managing multiple activities in federal waters. That interpretation was withdrawn by the Trump administration this year.
US Wind, the defendant in the case, states that the project complies with all federal environmental regulations. It filed motions to dismiss parts of the suit and requested extensions for responses to the amended complaint.
