New York has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over an agreement to end an offshore wind project linked to TotalEnergies.
The deal, disclosed in March, would provide TotalEnergies with $1 billion if the French company redirects the money into fossil fuel projects. The amount relates to offshore wind leases off New York and North Carolina.
Attorneys general from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont joined New York in the case. The lawsuit focuses on the New York lease cancellation, which covers the larger project and most of the settlement value.
The complaint was filed in the District Court for the District of Columbia. It names administration officials as defendants and argues that the lease was canceled without proper procedures. The states are asking the court to overturn both the lease cancellation and the settlement agreement with Attentive Energy, a TotalEnergies subsidiary.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said the agreement would use taxpayer money to move a foreign energy company away from offshore wind and toward oil and gas. New York Governor Kathy Hochul also criticized President Donald Trump’s position on offshore wind.
The Interior Department rejected the claims, saying the lease buybacks were voluntary agreements reviewed and approved by the Department of Justice.
TotalEnergies bought the New York and New Jersey lease in 2022 for $795 million. According to the complaint, the project had planned potential capacity of 3 GW, enough to power nearly one million homes. The company also acquired the Carolina Long Bay lease in 2022 for about $133 million, with a planned capacity of more than 1 GW.
The lawsuit comes as the Trump administration faces wider scrutiny over offshore wind lease termination agreements, including separate reviews by Democrats in Congress and California officials.
Source: Associated Press
