Proponents of #wind projects criticized the deals, pointing out that regions like the NE #US were counting on the #WindFarms to meet rising #electricity demand & could now face future #shortages.

“Replacing coastal offshore wind with geothermal or natural gas infrastructure in another region does nothing to address rising ratepayer #affordability concerns, reliability challenges or potential gaps in #power supply in the #Northeast & #midAtlantic,” said Hillary Bright, exec dir of Turn Forward….

#Wind #power generates far fewer #planet-warming #emissions than using #FossilFuels. But #Trump has criticized the technology as ugly, falsely claimed it is inefficient & has sought to block new #wind turbines. Last year, the #Interior Dept ordered work to stop on 5 #WindFarms already under construction off the East Coast, but federal #judges struck down all of those moves. The #Pentagon has also sought to halt approvals of wind farms on land.

#EnergyCrisis #ClimateChange #TaxpayersMoney

The agreement is similar to deals that the #Trump admin has struck since March with other companies, including French energy giant TotalEnergies, to abandon #WindFarms off California, New Jersey, New York & North Carolina in exchange for investing in #FossilFuel projects.

The announcement means the government has so far spent roughly $2.5 billion of #TaxpayersMoney to get companies to terminate offshore #wind leases.

#EnergyCrisis #FossilFuels #ClimateCrisis #ClimateChange #RenewableEnergy

Under the agreement #Invenergy will voluntarily surrender 4 leases in federal waters for #WindFarms that would have been located in the New York Bight, off the Central Coast of California & in the Gulf of Maine. All of those projects were in the early stages of development & had little chance of moving forward under the #Trump admin, which has halted all federal permitting for offshore #wind.

#EnergyCrisis #FossilFuels #ClimateCrisis #ClimateChange #Republicans #GOP #TaxpayersMoney