PROVIDENCE – R.I. Attorney General Peter F. Neronha on Wednesday filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in an effort to overturn the Trump administration's stop-work order of the Revolution Wind offshore project.
The new filing with Conn. Attorney General William Tong follows a lawsuit both states brought on Sept. 4 against the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, challenging what they describe as the abrupt and arbitrary Aug. 22 stop-work order.
Wednesday's motion argues the stop-order is causing “immediate and irreparable harm” and asks the court to allow construction to resume while the case moves forward, adding that Rhode Island faces serious harm from the work stoppage: contract deadlines, weather conditions, and rising costs that could derail the Revolution Wind project if construction doesn’t resume soon.
“We have no time to waste in getting Revolution Wind back online, which is why we’re asking the Court to put a stop to this in short order,” Neronha said on Wednesday. “In the few weeks since the stop work order was issued, without warning or reason, Rhode Islanders have been harmed, facing daily uncertainty. We have heard difficult stories from union workers who are out of a job, and from businesses who are now reluctant to pursue economic ventures due to the uncertainty created by this Administration’s decision. Further, Rhode Islanders continue to bear the brunt of the rising and increasingly unstable energy costs and environmental harms associated with fossil fuels. In this case, we need relief now for the benefit of Rhode Island, its workers, and its residents. And time is of the essence.”
Revolution Wind, being developed by Danish company Orsted A/S, is currently 80% complete and was on track to deliver 704 megawatts of clean energy to over 350,000 homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island by 2026. ISO New England, the entity responsible for operating the electric grid in the region, has warned that delaying the project would increase risks to reliability.
Revolution Wind must start generating power by Dec. 31 to meet its commitments to utility companies in Rhode Island and Connecticut, according to the motion.
With the stop-work order now nearing its fourth week, project delays are bringing Revolution Wind dangerously close to missing key deadlines, the motion states.
Neronha and William Tong argue that waiting for a final court ruling – potentially years away – could come too late to keep the project on track.
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.
