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Trump’s $1 billion wind payoff may not be quite what it seems

By Sarah Shemkus

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This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Northeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

OFFSHORE WIND

  • The Trump administration strikes a deal to pay energy company TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion to give up its offshore wind leases and invest in fossil fuel developments. (Canary Media)

  • However, TotalEnergies has already been pouring billions of dollars into offshore oil platforms and LNG infrastructure, and the refunded lease money is likely to offset these existing costs, not spark any new development, experts say. (Grist)

  • Democratic senators are not yet pulling out of permitting reform talks despite the TotalEnergies deal, saying it is a ​“crappy transaction” but not necessarily illegal. (E&E News,


CLIMATE

  • Maryland’s Supreme Court rules against reviving three local lawsuits, struck down by lower courts, that accused fossil fuel companies of deceiving consumers about the environmental impacts of their products. (New York Times)

  • New York confirms that Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered partner organizations to remove references to the state’s climate law from their materials in January, months before she formally proposed changing key provisions of the law. (E&E News)


AFFORDABILITY

  • Maine Gov. Janet Mills signs a law requiring utility regulators to consider affordability when approving new electric rates. (Maine Public)

  • New Jersey consumers saw the largest energy bill increases in the country in 2025, according to a new federal analysis. (NBC10 Philadelphia)

  • Proposals to save Rhode Island consumers money by rolling back climate and efficiency measures are gaining momentum in the state legislature. (ecoRI)


FOSSIL FUELS

  • Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, backs a plan to convert a retired coal power plant to a natural gas-fired facility, sparking opposition from environmental advocates. (E&E News)


CLEAN ENERGY

  • New Hampshire state lawmakers consider a bill that would drain the state renewable energy fund, after last year’s attempt to move the money was accidentally undone by a subsequent law. (New Hampshire Bulletin)


STORAGE

  • New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signs a bill to increase transmission-scale storage by loosening requirements and extending deadlines for a state incentive program. (E&E News)


ELECTRIC VEHICLES

  • Some New York state lawmakers and school district leaders say it is unfeasible to meet a state deadline to convert all school bus fleets to electric vehicles by 2035. (News 10 ABC)


DATA CENTERS

  • Maryland’s ratepayer advocate says data center developers, not consumers, should pay for the added transmission needed to serve the energy-hungry facilities. (Utility Dive)


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