NRDC: Trump’s War on Wind Costs Us $4 Billion
With latest payoff to an offshore wind company, the Trump administration has spent nearly $4 billion of U.S. taxpayer funds to stop projects that would deliver the electricity our nation needs more than ever
WASHINGTON, DC – The Trump administration is paying off another company not to produce offshore wind energy, the fifth time it has wasted taxpayer funds this way.
RWE said it would abandon leases off the coasts of New York, California, and Louisiana, collecting $1.2 billion from the U.S. Treasury in return. So far, the Trump administration has handed out nearly $4 billion in U.S. taxpayer funds to companies to get them to walk away from offshore wind projects – canceling 12 leases that could have provided enough electricity to power 9.3 million homes.
The following is a comment from Pasha Feinberg, offshore wind strategist at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
“Yet again, the Trump administration is wasting our money paying companies not to produce the energy we need now more than ever. While the administration is busy cutting checks to companies, American consumers are paying twice, once with their tax dollars and the second time with higher utility bills.
“It's long past time for the Trump administration to end its war on clean energy so that customers’ bills won’t keep rising and our nation can meet its growing electricity demands.”
NRDC is tracking every step of the Trump administration's attacks on public health and the environment. Go to White House Watch to see the comprehensive list of these attacks. To subscribe to our weekly newsletter, email jbar@nrdc.org.
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd)