Attorney General Neronha files Preliminary Injunction to immediately reverse Revolution Wind stop work order

Attorney General Neronha files Preliminary Injunction to immediately reverse Revolution Wind stop work order

Published on Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong today filed a motion for preliminary injunction in their ongoing lawsuit against the Trump Administration to overturn the stop work order abruptly and arbitrarily issued on August 22, 2025, which halted the construction of Revolution Wind.

Rhode Island and Connecticut filed suit against the Trump Administration on September 4, 2025 in U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island asking the court to overturn the stop work order. Today's filing lays out the immediate and irreparable harm to Rhode Island and Connecticut and asks the court to impose an injunction to allow work to resume immediately while the case proceeds.

"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," said Attorney General Neronha. "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."

"Connecticut families and Connecticut workers need Revolution Wind back on track-today," said Attorney General Tong. "Every day that Revolution Wind sits mothballed in the ocean is another day of unemployment, another day of unaffordable energy costs, and another day burning fossil fuels when clean, affordable, American-made energy is within our sights. We're asking the court to step in right now, to recognize the irreparable and immediate harm we are suffering, and to stop the Trump Administration's impulsive and lawless overreach."

As stated in the motion, immediate injunctive relief is necessary to avert the imminent and irreparable harm the stop order will impose on Rhode Island and Connecticut. Due to the ongoing work stoppage, constraints including contractual deadlines, weather, and cost imperil the Revolution Wind project. With a targeted completion date of November 2026, Revolution Wind must begin operating before key deadlines pass to fulfill its obligations to the utility companies in Rhode Island and Connecticut. The first deadline is December 31, 2026, at which point Revolution Wind must begin generating power. While the stop work order has remained in place for nearly four weeks, delays push the project close to missing critical deadlines. Relief at the end of this case, which could take years, would not be sufficient to ensure that Revolution Wind meets its obligations.

Background

Located fifteen nautical miles off the coast of Rhode Island, Revolution Wind is a wind energy facility expected to deliver enough electricity to the New England grid to power approximately 350,000 homes, or 2.5 percent of the region's electricity supply, beginning in 2026. Revolution Wind is projected to save Connecticut and Rhode Island ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars over 20 years.

Energy produced by Revolution Wind is an integral component of Rhode Island's strategy to meet statutory climate action mandates set by the General Assembly, for which there is no readily available alternative. The stop work order will also cause immediate and irreversible harmful impacts on the states, including lost jobs, wasted state resources, reduced future grid reliability, higher electric rates, more air pollution, more greenhouse gas emissions, and business uncertainty.

The complaint against the Department of the Interior, BOEM, and their appointed leaders alleges that such arbitrary and capricious government conduct violates both the Administrative Procedure Act and the government's authority under OCSLA. Both laws "demand reasoned decision-making, fidelity to statutory limits, and respect for the settled expectations of sovereign States and regulated parties."

Assistant Attorney General Sarah Rice, Solicitor General Katherine Sadeck, and Special Assistant Attorneys General Nicholas Vaz, Alex Carnevale, and Leonard Giarrano are staffing this litigation for the Attorney General.

To learn more about the Office's federal accountability work, please visit our website.

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