Trump's offshore wind fight leaves thousands of New England workers without a future

In July 2022, then-President Joe Biden spoke from the ruins of a coal plant on the Massachusetts coast. He said the dock would soon launch wind power parts, and he praised an Italian firm's plan for a factory that would create 250 jobs ¹. Four years later, weeds have covered the lot where he spoke ¹.

ProPublica, working with Ocean State Media, The Connecticut Mirror and The New Bedford Light, reports that the Trump administration's campaign against offshore wind has left empty warehouses and silent ports across New England ¹. The cable company Biden praised decided not to build its factory, citing "long-term trends in the U.S. market" ¹.

What workers have lost

In New Bedford, Massachusetts spent $140 million to build a pier for offshore wind, and it now sits empty ¹. One project, Vineyard Wind, directly employed more than 3,700 full- and part-time workers over eight years, according to the developer ¹.

Longshoreman Onix Vazquez, 34, earned $50 an hour on the project, nearly double his earlier pay. He now works a seasonal cranberry job for much less ¹. Kevin Rose, president of the New Bedford longshoremen's union, put the situation this way:

From Channel GOPTrump dodges rigged-election question, calls Massie loserDonald Trump · 525 plays · captioned, with the source named

Most of us have to get other jobs for now or collect unemployment

In New London, Connecticut, officials and a wind developer put more than $300 million in public and private money into a state-owned pier ¹. The last project based there is due to finish next year, and no new tenant has been found ¹. Mayor Michael Passero said of the earlier outlook: "I think the future just looked limitless" ¹.

The administration's moves

Last year the administration temporarily forced five projects to stop construction, and courts let the developers proceed ¹. The administration has also frozen future development on all offshore wind farms. That includes projects proposed to power up to 1.7 million New England homes ¹. It is paying other developers billions of dollars to sell back their leases ¹.

In October, Interior asked a court for permission to reconsider the key permit for Revolution Wind. The farm is already running and can power more than 350,000 homes at maximum capacity ¹. The request came in a lawsuit by an anti-wind group, Green Oceans ². U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth has twice sided with the developers and has not ruled on the new request ².

Interior said it "is complying with a briefing schedule, not announcing a policy change" ². At a Monday press conference, Trump said he would not approve "wind turbines ’cause wind turbines are a major loser" ¹. An Interior spokesperson said the Biden administration had lured companies in with the promise of subsidies ¹.

What happens next

Judge Lamberth's ruling on the Revolution Wind request is pending ². Congress is weighing a bipartisan energy permitting bill that covers offshore wind, and a vote is not expected until after the midterms ². State attorneys general, including Connecticut's William Tong, have sued over the lease buyback deals ².

The wind projects had problems before Trump returned. Rising costs from inflation and supply shortages pushed some developers out of contracts, and some groups fought projects over ocean and coastal concerns ¹. Even so, the pattern in this reporting is that federal action has turned a shaky industry into a stalled one. That matters because these were well-paid jobs, and the public money spent on piers may not be recovered ¹.

The Record

1. Jan 20, 2025On his first day back in office, Trump issued an order withdrawing federal ocean areas from wind leasing and pausing permits for new projects ².
2. Oct 13, 2026Interior's request to reconsider the Revolution Wind approval is reported; Judge Lamberth has not ruled ².
3. Nov 13, 2026ProPublica and partners report on New England port and worker losses from the offshore wind freeze ¹.

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<h2>Trump&#39;s offshore wind fight leaves thousands of New England workers without a future</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-s-offshore-wind-fight-leaves-thousands-of-new-england-workers-without-a-future">The GOP Files</a> on Friday, November 13, 2026.</em></p> <p>In July 2022, then-President Joe Biden spoke from the ruins of a coal plant on the Massachusetts coast. He said the dock would soon launch wind power parts, and he praised an Italian firm&#39;s plan for a factory that would create 250 jobs . Four years later, weeds have covered the lot where he spoke .</p> <p>ProPublica, working with Ocean State Media, The Connecticut Mirror and The New Bedford Light, reports that the Trump administration&#39;s campaign against offshore wind has left empty warehouses and silent ports across New England . The cable company Biden praised decided not to build its factory, citing &quot;long-term trends in the U.S. market&quot; .</p> <h2>What workers have lost</h2> <p>In New Bedford, Massachusetts spent $140 million to build a pier for offshore wind, and it now sits empty . One project, Vineyard Wind, directly employed more than 3,700 full- and part-time workers over eight years, according to the developer .</p> <p>Longshoreman Onix Vazquez, 34, earned $50 an hour on the project, nearly double his earlier pay. He now works a seasonal cranberry job for much less . Kevin Rose, president of the New Bedford longshoremen&#39;s union, put the situation this way:</p> <blockquote><p>Most of us have to get other jobs for now or collect unemployment</p><p>&mdash; Kevin Rose, president, New Bedford longshoremen&#39;s union</p></blockquote> <p>In New London, Connecticut, officials and a wind developer put more than $300 million in public and private money into a state-owned pier . The last project based there is due to finish next year, and no new tenant has been found . Mayor Michael Passero said of the earlier outlook: &quot;I think the future just looked limitless&quot; .</p> <h2>The administration&#39;s moves</h2> <p>Last year the administration temporarily forced five projects to stop construction, and courts let the developers proceed . The administration has also frozen future development on all offshore wind farms. That includes projects proposed to power up to 1.7 million New England homes . It is paying other developers billions of dollars to sell back their leases .</p> <p>In October, Interior asked a court for permission to reconsider the key permit for Revolution Wind. The farm is already running and can power more than 350,000 homes at maximum capacity . The request came in a lawsuit by an anti-wind group, Green Oceans . U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth has twice sided with the developers and has not ruled on the new request .</p> <p>Interior said it &quot;is complying with a briefing schedule, not announcing a policy change&quot; . At a Monday press conference, Trump said he would not approve &quot;wind turbines ’cause wind turbines are a major loser&quot; . An Interior spokesperson said the Biden administration had lured companies in with the promise of subsidies .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Judge Lamberth&#39;s ruling on the Revolution Wind request is pending . Congress is weighing a bipartisan energy permitting bill that covers offshore wind, and a vote is not expected until after the midterms . State attorneys general, including Connecticut&#39;s William Tong, have sued over the lease buyback deals .</p> <p>The wind projects had problems before Trump returned. Rising costs from inflation and supply shortages pushed some developers out of contracts, and some groups fought projects over ocean and coastal concerns . Even so, the pattern in this reporting is that federal action has turned a shaky industry into a stalled one. That matters because these were well-paid jobs, and the public money spent on piers may not be recovered .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-s-offshore-wind-fight-leaves-thousands-of-new-england-workers-without-a-future">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/trump-s-offshore-wind-fight-leaves-thousands-of-new-england-workers-without-a-future.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. ProPublica, “How Trump's War on Offshore Wind Upended a "Limitless" Future for Thousands of New England Workers” (2026-11-13). propublica.org/article/offshore-wind-trump-connecticut-massa
2. The Connecticut Mirror, “Trump administration seeks to rescind approval for Revolution Wind” (2026-10-13). ctmirror.org/2026/10/13/trump-administration-seeks-to-rescin

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