Green Oceans Statement on Court’s Preliminary Injunction Ruling in Revolution Wind Case

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yesterday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted Revolution Wind's motion for a preliminary injunction staying the federal government’s December 22 suspension of offshore wind activities on the Outer Continental Shelf in Case No. 1:25-cv-02999-RCL.

Green Oceans responds to federal ruling allowing Revolution Wind construction, citing unresolved radar interference risks and a pending 2024 lawsuit.

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Green Oceans, which intervened in the case to support the federal government’s authority to act on national-security grounds, respects the Court’s decision. At the same time, the organization expressed concern that construction may continue before the Court has had the opportunity to consider the merits of Green Oceans’ separate case (Case No. 1:24-cv-00141-RCL) challenging the project’s federal approvals, and assigned to the same Court.

That earlier-filed case has remained pending for nearly two years and raises statutory, environmental, and national-security issues distinct from the preliminary-injunction posture addressed today.

"The Court’s ruling today does not change the federal government’s obligation to protect national security and the marine environment,” said Dr. Elizabeth Knight, President of Green Oceans. “Those responsibilities continue under federal law.”

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued the December 22 suspension after receiving new classified information from the Department of Defense regarding evolving adversary technologies and their interaction with large offshore wind installations. Federal officials stated that responsible evaluation of those risks required a pause before the project reached full operation.

Green Oceans emphasized that the factual record regarding national security remains unchanged which they have outlined in their National Security white paper.

“Federal defense assessments dating back to 2007 document that large offshore wind turbines can interfere with early-warning radar systems, including PAVE PAWS, the only land-based radar protecting the East Coast from submarine-launched ballistic missiles,” Dr. Knight said.

A February 2024 Department of Energy report to Congress concluded that no current technology can fully mitigate radar interference. The only current effective mitigation involves siting turbines outside radar line-of-sight interference zones. Revolution Wind’s own submissions acknowledge the project will be within the line-of-sight of multiple airport surveillance radars as well as the PAVE PAWS early-warning system.

Allied nations have reached similar conclusions. As reported by Reuters, Sweden recently blocked thirteen offshore wind projects totaling more than thirty gigawatts after determining that radar interference could not be adequately mitigated. Other NATO allies have delayed or canceled projects based on comparable defense assessments.

“Congress directed federal agencies to protect national security as a mandatory condition of offshore development,” Barbara Chapman, trustee, said. “That directive remains in force.”

Green Oceans also noted that while the developer emphasized financial hardship during today’s proceedings, the record reflects that federal taxpayers will subsidize approximately 57 percent of the project’s capital costs, a fact that has received limited public attention.

The organization further urged accuracy in claims about the project’s asserted benefits.

Project filings identify less than 60 permanent jobs, with no contractual guarantee for Rhode Island residents or U.S. citizens, nor an assessment of jobs lost. Other employment consists of temporary construction jobs that end when construction concludes. The project’s power purchase agreement sets a wholesale electricity price of approximately $98.43 per MWh, with an obligation for the state to purchase the power whether it uses it or not. This will drive the cost up even higher.

“Public discussion benefits from careful review of the project’s own filings,” Dr. Knight said. “Accuracy matters.”

Green Oceans emphasized its respect for the Court’s process and confirmed that it will continue to pursue its claims through appropriate judicial channels.

About Green Oceans

Green Oceans is a 501(c)3 nonprofit community organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of the ocean and the life it supports. Since 2023, Green Oceans and its coalition including four Native American tribes, and environmental, energy, national security and fishing groups, have worked to challenge large-scale offshore wind development based on its documented impacts on marine ecosystems, energy costs, livelihoods, and national security.

For more information, visit https://green-oceans.org.