McClellan Statement on Trump Administration Pausing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project

Washington, D.C. -Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement after the Trump Administration's Department of Interior ordered a 90-day suspension of work for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project:

"After waging open war on clean energy and energy efficiency projects, the Trump Administration has now paused all offshore wind projects. This reckless action threatens our nation's ability to meet growing energy demand, maintain grid security and keep thousands of jobs this holiday season. One of these projects, the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, fills a significant gap in our Commonwealth's push to supply reliable power to consumers and maintain our existing energy infrastructure. Its suspension hurts our status as a leader in this space and the clean energy industry as a whole and will drive up electricity costs for Virginia families.

"As a state legislator, I championed the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) in 2020, which made Virginia the first state in the South to adopt a 100% clean energy standard. Today's decision to pause the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project when it's nearly complete and operational violates the spirit of the VCEA and could have profound impacts on our Commonwealth.

"The Trump Administration's pause undermines our national security by hindering the ability to meet the energy needs of Virginia-based assets from the world's largest naval base, to the shipyards and the Pentagon itself. And with Virginia serving as the data center capital of the world, this will only make it harder for the U.S. to compete in the race for more reliable and sophisticated AI. Both of these industries contribute to our exploding energy demand, and we must leverage every available technology to meet those needs.

"Our goal for a cleaner, more competitive and more affordable Commonwealth should not be at the mercy of this President's irrational hatred of our current energy projects. This latest attack on clean energy goes against what we have known for years: that we must invest in energy efficiency and clean energy programs if we hope to strengthen our national security and invest in advanced technologies. I'll continue to work within Congress to ensure this project resumes in a timely manner to put Virginians first and keep costs down with renewable, reliable power."