The Offshore Wind Trade Is Eternally (Wind Jobs, Not So A lot)

August 30, 2025

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Final Up to date on: thirtieth August 2025, 01:07 pm

Cry me a river. Wait, make that two rivers. On Friday, August 29, the Trump administration yanked one other rug out from underneath the US offshore wind trade, sending 1000’s of building jobs spinning into the black gap of malevolent incompetence that passes for the US authorities lately. What number of of these jobs have been held by Trump voters stays to be counted, however … yeah, cry me a river.

Trump Kills Extra Offshore Wind Jobs … Shocker!

USA Immediately took inventory of the scenario on August 27, shortly after Trump’s Inside Secretary, Doug Burgum, single-handedly shut down the Revolution Wind offshore mission in New England. The work was 80% full however a whole bunch of employees have been nonetheless busy tying up the unfastened ends after they have been all despatched residence by Secretary Burgum.

“A number of constructing trades employees, numerous union employees, voted for Donald Trump and his staff. However they didn’t vote to have union jobs shut down,” Rhode Island AFL-CIO President Patrick Crowley instructed USA Immediately. “It shouldn’t work like this.”

Truly, it does work like this, they usually did vote to have their jobs shut down. Trump’s antipathy to wind generators is a widely known incontrovertible fact that he has proclaimed typically, and loudly, ever since first campaigning for President in 2016. That was 9 years in the past. That makes 9 years of promising to kill the US wind trade, onshore and off, proper on as much as and together with the marketing campaign yr of 2024.

Final yr, Trump additionally promised that the US would have “solely two sexes” if he gained the workplace once more. Apparently some voters determined that having two sexes, and solely two sexes, was extra necessary than, you understand, making a residing.

“For our people, that is work, that is make or break for them,” Crowley additionally instructed USA Immediately. “If you get an opportunity to work on a mission that’s going to be round for months at a time, that gives you and your loved ones such a way of stability. And to have this occur? I’ve by no means seen something like this earlier than.”

Hey Guys, Brace Your self For One other Spherical Of Offshore Wind Layoffs

Within the weeks following Election Day 2024, Related Press was amongst these noting that help for Democratic candidates continues to run excessive amongst unionized employees and others holding building jobs, so it’s not clear that Crowley’s statement is a by-the-numbers reflection of the Trump votes forged by individuals who have a private curiosity in working for a residing.

Nonetheless, AP was additionally amongst these emphasizing that the development has been shifting in direction of Republican candidates basically, and Trump particularly. “However with Trump’s populist enchantment, his working-class base noticed an honest share of union rank-and-file voting for Republicans this yr,” AP reported on November 23 final yr.

“Working-class voters helped Republicans make regular election features this yr and expanded a coalition that more and more contains rank-and-file union members,” AP added.

If that’s certainly the case, then the Rhode Island wind employees who voted for Trump may have loads of firm as they cool their heels across the kitchen desk. Revolution Wind is only one amongst a number of components of the US offshore wind trade that have been already in movement when Trump took workplace with intent to kill.

That brings us to Friday, August 29, the day when Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy helped to make sure that the bleeding of union jobs continues. Duffy issued an order clawing again $679 million in federal funds that had been allotted for 12 portside enchancment tasks that have been to have supported the offshore wind trade, funded via his company’s Nationally Important Freight and Freeway Tasks program and the Port Infrastructure Growth Program.

So, there go extra jobs. They’re in all probability not coming again. The offshore wind trade, however, can be simply fantastic. The know-how will not be going anyplace, and there are many alternatives to create new jobs constructing offshore wind farms in different international locations.

Offshore Wind Or Not, These Jobs Are Toast

The response to Friday’s announcement was swift, not that it issues. The Republican majority in Congress has gleefully permitted the President to overr-reach his Constitutional authority each day ever since January 20. Why ought to August 29 be any completely different.

Right here’s a consultant pattern from Democratic Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts:

“In unlawfully and senselessly chopping a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands in federal funding to offshore wind tasks, Trump simply signed a dying warrant for 1000’s of union jobs nationwide and assured that households’ vitality payments will proceed to skyrocket.”

Liz Burdock, President of the offshore wind commerce group Oceantic Community, additionally identified that the impression of the August 29 order will unfold far past the offshore wind trade. “Offshore wind port improvement upgrades services and capabilities that serve a number of industries,” she mentioned, noting that the offshore wind trade has introduced new jobs to seaports by reviving underused and idled services, a few of which had lain fallow for many years.

That’s information to Transportation Secretary Duffy and his gang of taxpayer-paid workplace employees. “Wasteful, wind tasks are utilizing assets that might in any other case go in direction of revitalizing America’s maritime trade,” Duffy mentioned in a press assertion.

“Due to President Trump, we’re prioritizing actual infrastructure enhancements over fantasy wind tasks that price a lot and supply little,” he mentioned, including insult to harm.

Lie Down With Canine, Wake Up With Fleas

To not fear! Duffy will use the cash to make extra jobs at US seaports. No hurt, no foul amirite? “The place potential, funding can be used to put money into actual infrastructure, restoring American maritime dominance,” Duffy’s workplace declared.

That is still to be seen. In the meantime, as could also be anticipated the axe fell virtually completely on states headed up by Democratic governors. Right here’s the checklist posted by Senator Markey, with the states added in:

Withdrawn:

[Maryland} Sparrows Point Steel Marshalling Port Project (PIDP; $47,392,500)

[Connecticut] Bridgeport Port Authority Operations and Upkeep Wind Port Venture (PIDP;$10,530,000)

[New Jersey] Wind Port at Paulsboro (PIDP; $20,494,025)

[New York] Arthur Kill Terminal (PIDP; $48,008,231)

[Rhode Island] Gateway Upgrades for Entry, Resiliency & Growth on the Port of Davisville Venture (PIDP; $11,250,000)

[Virginia] Norfolk Offshore Wind Logistics Port (PIDP; $39,265,000)

[California] Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind (INFRA; $426,719,810)

Terminated:

[California] Redwood Marine Terminal Venture Planning (PIDP; $8,672,986)

[Massachusetts] Salem Wind Port Venture (PIDP; $33,835,953)

[New York] Lake Erie Renewable Vitality Resilience Venture (PIDP; $11,051,586)

[North Carolina] Radio Island Rail Enhancements in Help of Offshore Wind (PIDP; $1,679,604)

[Virginia] PMT Offshore Wind Growth (PIDP; $20,000,000)

What do you wager New York Governor Kathy Hochul is on the cellphone with Trump proper now, working to get that $11 million+ mission again in movement? Earlier this yr Hochul negotiated a restart of the Empire Wind offshore mission, with gasoline pipeline tasks in her state as bargaining chips. Maybe she has one other card to play.

Let’s see what Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has to say about this, too. Youngkin is the one Republican governor on Duffy’s hit checklist, and he have to be questioning what he did improper. In spite of everything, Youngkin has affirmed his help for the Trump agenda all all through this yr.

However, Youngkin can be the uncommon, if not the one, Republican governor within the US to champion an offshore wind mission. With Youngkin’s help the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind mission is effectively underneath manner, secure from the knives of the Trump administration — for now, at the very least.

As of this writing, Youngkin has but to situation a public response to the lack of greater than $60 million in federal funding. Possibly he by no means will. Why ought to he? In spite of everything, Youngkin is term-limited, and the good cash says a Democratic governor will inherit the entire mess after Election Day in November.

Picture (cropped): On August 29, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy introduced that 12 portside tasks in help of the US offshore wind trade will lose their federal funding (courtesy of US DOT).

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