California Challenges Shady Offshore Wind Cancellations

Sacramento, CA - Yesterday, the California Attorney General and California Energy Commission (CEC) filed a notice of intent to sue the Trump administration for its backroom deal that led to the cancellation of a major offshore wind project in exchange for out-of-state fossil fuel development. The CEC also issued a subpoena to Golden State Wind.

The Department of Interior (DOI) intends to pay $120 million in taxpayer funds to Golden State Wind to cancel a massive two gigawatt offshore wind project that would power over one million homes with affordable, renewable energy. The Trump administration has announced two additional buyouts, totaling more than $2.5 billion, to trade offshore wind leases on both coasts in exchange for fossil fuel expansion. Some of those efforts have been challenged in court.

Simultaneously, the administration is working to promote the fossil fuel industry in California by expanding leases on public lands, promoting offshore drilling, and threatening more unprecedented emergency orders to boost corporate profits.

In response, Sierra Club's Senior Campaign Organizer Julia Dowell released the following statement:

"The Trump administration is bribing companies that promised to bring thousands of good jobs and more affordable electricity to the grid, and instead supporting polluting infrastructure that will further drive up the cost of energy for working families. We're glad to see California officials take action against Trump as the majority of Californians support the development of responsible, affordable, renewable energy over handing off ]piles of money to fossil fuel billionaires and their shareholders. The economy is shifting to renewable energy because it's simply better, but this administration is dead set on wasting our public money to enrich wealthy donors and fossil fuel oligarchs."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.