Trump executive order halting offshore wind farms could hurt NC’s economy

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order to halt further offshore wind projects and review existing ones in development. The move could have a huge impact on North Carolina, where wind energy has become a key part of the state’s energy plan.

Among the dozens of executive orders President Donald Trump signed on the first full day of his second term was one to suspend all future offshore wind projects and review and potentially suspend existing projects, a move that could represent a death blow to the nascent industry in North Carolina. 

The order, singling out wind projects, does not affect oil and gas leases, and Trump has promised to “drill baby, drill,” despite the devastating environmental impacts of fossil fuels and their role in causing climate change.

While the president’s order does not immediately affect current wind projects, it does allow the Secretary of the Interior and Attorney General to review current leases and suspend those projects if there is a legal basis for doing so. Currently, there are two leases for wind farms on the North Carolina coast, but they haven’t been completed.

As a candidate, and as president during his first term, Trump had a habit of attacking wind energy in various ways, including spreading the lie that windmills cause cancer and kill whales.

While Trump’s executive order calls for a review of current policy, he indicated complete opposition to wind energy prior to being sworn in and since taking office. 

“We are going to have a policy where no windmills are being built,” he said in early January. 

Trump continued his attacks against wind in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity this week, saying, “They kill the birds, they’re horrible. We don’t want windmills in this country. We’re putting an order on it, I’ve already sort of done it.” 

How the order impacts North Carolina

The coast of North Carolina has the potential to host several wind projects that could power North Carolina homes and businesses. In 2014, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) identified three areas of the state’s coast, around 307,000 acres, that could potentially host wind farms.

In 2021, former Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order calling for the state to produce 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of energy from wind by 2030, and 8 GW by 2040, which would power over 2 million North Carolina homes if implemented.

A 2010 report from the North Carolina Department of Commerce estimated that the state’s overall potential for wind energy was 297 GW, the second most in the United States.

Wind energy is one piece of the puzzle in the battle against climate change, which is helping fuel and intensify natural disasters across the world. In addition to being a cheaper source of energy than fossil fuels, wind also produces no greenhouse gases, allowing energy production to also be environmentally friendly.

Currently, there are two approved offshore wind farms along the North Carolina coast, Carolina Long Bay and Kitty Hawk North Wind. Neither project has been completed, and their futures are uncertain following Trump’s order.

The Carolina Long Bay project, located near Wilmington, would span over 100,000 acres, produce 1.5 GW of energy, with the potential to power around 500,000 homes. The Kitty Hawk project would power an additional 70,000 homes.

In his interview with Hannity, Trump also falsely claimed that wind energy costs more than other forms of energy. “Nobody wants them, and they’re the most expensive energy of any kind of energy,” he said. 

Wind energy is actually a cheaper source of energy than other fossil fuel alternatives. As of 2022, offshore wind is half as expensive as the next cheapest fossil fuel alternative, according to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IREA). An advantage of offshore wind compared to onshore turbines is that the typically faster windspeeds produce more energy.

The climate crisis and North Carolina

Trump’s actions against clean energy come as the impacts of climate change make themselves more and more known. 2024 was North Carolina’s  second hottest year on record, and five of the six hottest years since records began to be kept have occurred since 2016.

Climate Central says “risky heat days” — “temperatures at which the statistical likelihood of death from heat stress begins to rise” — have been increasing in the state’s cities. Raleigh now experiences 40 more of these days compared to 1970, while Charlotte and Asheville have around 28 and 21 more, respectively.

North Carolina also experienced the impacts  of climate change when the western region of the state was devastated by Hurricane Helene last September. 

Research conducted post-Helene found that climate change was a major driver of the catastrophic impacts of Hurricane Helene, contributing to the storm’s incredibly intense rains and winds. 

A president hostile to all clean energy

Beyond wind, Trump also signaled an opposition to green energy altogether when speaking with Hannity.

“You know what else people don’t like? Those massive solar fields built over land that cover ten miles by ten miles. They’re ridiculous, the whole thing,” Trump said.

If Trump succeeds in blocking clean energy projects like offshore wind and solar, it could mean more expensive energy costs, fewer jobs in growing industries, and crippling the country’s chance to combat the growing climate crisis.