Trump Administration’s Taxpayer-funded Pay-to-quit Scheme for Offshore Wind Projects Will Increase Energy Costs

June 17, 2026 (Augusta, ME) - The Trump Administration's payout of $765 million in taxpayer dollars to energy developer Invenergy to walk away from four offshore wind leases, including two in the Gulf of Maine, is a huge step backward for affordability and reliability, according to Maine's leading nonpartisan environmental advocacy organization.

The Natural Resources Council of Maine issued the following statement from its Climate & Clean Energy Director Jack Shapiro in response to the Trump Administration and Invenergy's reckless actions:

"Illegally paying off developers to abandon new sources of reliable, affordable energy as families and local businesses struggle to pay their electricity bill defies logic. At a time when the risks of dependence on imported fuels are right in front of our noses, we should be doing more to invest in the American-made energy of the future, not less.

The floating offshore wind lease areas identified for the Gulf of Maine were the result of years of collaboration to identify locations that avoid fishing grounds and minimize impact on the environment.

This move does nothing to lower energy costs, create new good-paying jobs for Mainers, or generate the clean power we need to run Maine's economy. Hardworking Maine families and businesses deserve better."