Photo via Principle Power. A 9.5-megawatt floating wind turbine off the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland

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PREVIOUSLY:

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Press
release from the California Attorney General’s Office:

California
Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Energy Commission (CEC)
today sent a Notice
of Intent to Sue targeting
an unlawful agreement between the U.S. Department of the Interior
(DOI) and RWE U.S. Offshore (RWE) that would undermine California’s
offshore wind energy development. Under the agreement, DOI will
illegally reallocate $1.22 billion in federal taxpayer dollars to pay
RWE to abandon its affiliates’ offshore wind energy leases in
federal waters off the coasts of California, Louisiana, and New York,
and require RWE to invest the same amount in out-of-state
fossil-fuel projects that will do nothing to support California’s
energy economy. If allowed to proceed, the lease buyout threatens to
set back California’s burgeoning offshore wind industry, stranding
public investments in ports’ offshore wind capacity, and damaging
supporting industries and clean energy jobs. 


“Don’t
be fooled, this agreement is just another ploy to kill offshore wind
projects and slip millions of dollars into the hands of President
Trump’s donors and business partners. Yet again, the Trump
Administration is trying to thwart the clean energy industry, but
when the President repeats his play, so will we,” said
Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Today,
we’re putting the Trump Administration on notice that we intend to
sue. Offshore wind investments create jobs, bolster our economy, and
deliver reliable clean energy to Californians. Whenever the Trump
Administration tries to attack clean energy, my office will be here
to fight back.” 


“The
Trump administration’s latest attack on California’s clean energy
future will not go unanswered. We will vigorously contest these
unlawful backroom deals that would redirect public funds from clean
offshore wind to polluting fossil fuel projects owned by donors to
Donald Trump’s campaign coffers,” said
CEC Chair David Hochschild. “Our
state has invested over $100 million to support offshore wind, which
will strengthen energy independence, create good‑paying jobs,
and build the clean energy future Californians demand. We
will defend that progress every time it is threatened.”


BACKGROUND


California’s
offshore wind strategic plan calls for the state to develop 25
gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2045, enough to power roughly 25
million homes and provide about 13% of the state’s electricity
supply, to accelerate California’s clean energy transition, create
local manufacturing jobs, and drive economic development. Since
federal offshore wind energy development planning began off
California’s coast a decade ago, the state has worked with federal
agencies, developers, tribes, labor groups, ports, fishermen, local
governments, and communities to prepare for offshore wind
development. California has invested more than $100 million to ready
California’s ports, transmission systems, and industries to support
offshore wind generation.

This
latest agreement is part of the Trump Administration’s ongoing
attempt to cancel offshore wind projects and replace them with
fossil-fuel energy projects, including deals with Golden
State Wind LLC and Invenergy.
On August 6, 2026, RWE announced a $1.22 billion agreement with DOI
to cancel three offshore wind energy leases in federal waters off the
coasts of California, Louisiana, and New York. The buyout is
styled as an alleged settlement agreement that provides for DOI to
cancel the wind lease, pay out the bid, and require RWE to fund
liquefied natural gas infrastructure and natural gas projects across
the country. Beyond that, it has been reported that a majority of the
$1.22 billion in federal taxpayer dollars designated for offshore
wind will be used by RWE to purchase a stake in a certain
fossil-fuel project run by a major Trump donor and
neighbor.


In
the Notice of Intent to Sue sent to DOI and RWE today, California
alleges that the buyout deal violates the Outer Continental Shelf
Lands Act (OCSLA), which is intended to give states like California a
say in the offshore wind leasing program and prevent corrupt backroom
deals. The Notice of Intent to Sue provides a 60-day window to cure
the OCSLA violations before California files suit to put a stop to
this unlawful buyout.