BARNSTABLE – State officials and Governor Maura Healey has issued a joint letter urging federal officials to immediately lift the stop work orders on five offshore wind projects, including Vineyard Wind off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.
The letter is addressed to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, arguing that the Trump Administration’s recent freeze is raising energy costs and threatening jobs.
The Trump administration suspended leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects under construction on the East Coast due to what it said were national security risks identified by the Pentagon, including Vineyard Wind.
The pause gives the Interior Department, which oversees offshore wind, time to work with the Defense Department and other agencies to assess the possible ways to mitigate any security risks posed by the projects, the administration said.
The statement did not detail the national security risks.
It is the latest step the administration has taken to hobble offshore wind in its push against renewable energy sources.
It comes two weeks after a federal judge struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking wind energy projects, calling it unlawful.
The statement called the move a pause but did not specify an end date.
The following is the full statement from Gov. Maura Healey’s office:
Today, Governor Maura Healey joined with Governor Kathy Hochul, Governor Ned Lamont, and Governor Dan McKee in sending a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to demand an immediate lifting of the stop work orders for five offshore wind projects, including Massachusetts’ Vineyard Wind. The Governors make clear that the Trump Administration’s actions will raise energy bills and kill jobs, and demand a classified briefing to review the unexplained national security threats used to place the stop work orders.
“We demand an immediate classified briefing for our cleared personnel to review this supposed evidence and all information related to this purported rationale,” write the Governors. “It strains credulity to believe that vital, substantial projects that underwent many federal reviews and processes, including by the DoD, all of a sudden present new, existential, unforeseen threats. Erratic, unpredictable, irrational actions like these are no way to govern, let alone plan for power generation capacity decades into the future.”
“This is a moment for leadership, not obstruction. True national and economic security cannot be achieved by hollowing out our industrial base or leaving our power grid vulnerable to collapse. It requires the courage to build,” the letter continues. “We urge you to look beyond bureaucratic games and recognize the real battle being waged: the global race for energy independence, economic dominance, and national security preeminence. Do not be the administration that handed the future to our adversaries by turning off the power at home. Rescind these suspensions immediately. Let us get back to the work of powering this great nation.”
Governor Healey is working closely with other states and developers to counter DOI’s stop work order to Vineyard Wind. Vineyard Wind has been producing power since January 2025 and has nearly completed construction, capable of producing 572 MW of power. This stop work order means Massachusetts is losing out on new, additional power generation that could power over an additional 200,000 homes and businesses this winter, saving people money on their bills during our coldest months. Offshore wind has its highest output in the coldest winter months when the New England grid is most constrained. If these additional turbines are allowed to come online, Massachusetts ratepayers would save at least $13 million in direct wholesale energy market costs between January and March 2026.
In its most recent annual economic impact report to the state, Vineyard Wind demonstrated that the project has largely exceeded its targets. The project has supported nearly 4,000 jobs to date. Over 3,300 workers have been employed during the construction phase, boosting the economies of Barnstable, Martha’s Vineyard, and New Bedford. The project has surpassed its local union labor hiring goals, with over 70 percent of union workers residing in Southeastern Massachusetts, many of whom relocated to Massachusetts to work on the project and the remainder largely coming from nearby Rhode Island. Overall, Vineyard Wind has delivered $623 million in labor income, and $1.94 billion in total economic output.
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