Attorney General Neronha files Preliminary Injunction to immediately reverse Revolution Wind stop work order
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong today filed a motion for preliminary injunction in their ongoing lawsuit against the Trump Administration to overturn the stop work order abruptly and arbitrarily issued on August 22, 2025, which halted the construction of Revolution Wind.
Rhode Island and Connecticut filed suit against the Trump Administration on September 4, 2025 in U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island asking the court to overturn the stop work order. Today’s filing lays out the immediate and irreparable harm to Rhode Island and Connecticut and asks the court to impose an injunction to allow work to resume immediately while the case proceeds.
“We have no time to waste in getting Revolution Wind back online, which is why we’re asking the Court to put a stop to this in short order,” said Attorney General Neronha. “In the few weeks since the stop work order was issued, without warning or reason, Rhode Islanders have been harmed, facing daily uncertainty. We have heard difficult stories from union workers who are out of a job, and from businesses who are now reluctant to pursue economic ventures due to the uncertainty created by this Administration’s decision. Further, Rhode Islanders continue to bear the brunt of the rising and increasingly unstable energy costs and environmental harms associated with fossil fuels. In this case, we need relief now for the benefit of Rhode Island, its workers, and its residents. And time is of the essence.”
“Connecticut families and Connecticut workers need Revolution Wind back on track—today,” said Attorney General Tong. “Every day that Revolution Wind sits mothballed in the ocean is another day of unemployment, another day of unaffordable energy costs, and another day burning fossil fuels when clean, affordable, American-made energy is within our sights. We’re asking the court to step in right now, to recognize the irreparable and immediate harm we are suffering, and to stop the Trump Administration’s impulsive and lawless overreach.”
As stated in the motion, immediate injunctive relief is necessary to avert the imminent and irreparable harm the stop order will impose on Rhode Island and Connecticut. Due to the ongoing work stoppage, constraints including contractual deadlines, weather, and cost imperil the Revolution Wind project. With a targeted completion date of November 2026, Revolution Wind must begin operating before key deadlines pass to fulfill its obligations to the utility companies in Rhode Island and Connecticut. The first deadline is December 31, 2026, at which point Revolution Wind must begin generating power. While the stop work order has remained in place for nearly four weeks, delays push the project close to missing critical deadlines. Relief at the end of this case, which could take years, would not be sufficient to ensure that Revolution Wind meets its obligations.
Background
Located fifteen nautical miles off the coast of Rhode Island, Revolution Wind is a wind energy facility expected to deliver enough electricity to the New England grid to power approximately 350,000 homes, or 2.5 percent of the region’s electricity supply, beginning in 2026. Revolution Wind is projected to save Connecticut and Rhode Island ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars over 20 years.
Energy produced by Revolution Wind is an integral component of Rhode Island’s strategy to meet statutory climate action mandates set by the General Assembly, for which there is no readily available alternative. The stop work order will also cause immediate and irreversible harmful impacts on the states, including lost jobs, wasted state resources, reduced future grid reliability, higher electric rates, more air pollution, more greenhouse gas emissions, and business uncertainty.
The complaint against the Department of the Interior, BOEM, and their appointed leaders alleges that such arbitrary and capricious government conduct violates both the Administrative Procedure Act and the government’s authority under OCSLA. Both laws “demand reasoned decision-making, fidelity to statutory limits, and respect for the settled expectations of sovereign States and regulated parties.”
Assistant Attorney General Sarah Rice, Solicitor General Katherine Sadeck, and Special Assistant Attorneys General Nicholas Vaz, Alex Carnevale, and Leonard Giarrano are staffing this litigation for the Attorney General.
Speaker Shekarchi and Senate President Lawson statement on the Revolution Wind lawsuit
“We applaud the lawsuit filed today by Attorney General Peter Neronha to overturn President Trump’s unjustified stop-work order of the Revolution Wind project that is 80 percent completed. This endeavor supports thousands of good-paying private sector Rhode Island jobs and is expected to deliver enough electricity to power several hundred thousand homes in New England. This infusion of new power is important to address energy affordability and costs for Rhode Island consumers. This project is essential for our economy, the environment, and the affordability of our energy supply, and we wholeheartedly support today’s legal action.”
Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressmen Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo released the following statement:
“We thank Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, along with Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, for defending good union jobs and clean energy infrastructure set to deliver low-cost power to Rhode Island working families. We applaud their leadership and support all efforts to ensure the nearly finished Revolution Wind project is completed and brought online to provide clean, American-made, affordable energy to homes across the region."
We need "all of the above" to counter Trump's massive folly, and this includes Peter Neronha's legal efforts, the political energy of McKee, Shekarchi, Lawson and their CT counterparts, the workers whose jobs are threatened and related businesses being active, and public pressure of which this is an example thanks to Steve's post and the people commenting here and spreading the word
👏👏👏 We again need to thank AG Neronha for being willing to take a leadership role in fighting this craziness which is a major threat to the future of the people of RI and CT. 👍👍
September 3, 2025 - Assistant Secretary of the Interior Unprepared and Evasive Under Magaziner’s Questioning About Revolution Wind Stop-Work Order
U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner (RI-02), a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, questioned Department of the Interior official Adam Suess about the Department’s decision to issue a stop-work order for the Revolution Wind project. Suess serves as the Acting Assistant Secretary and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the Department of the Interior and oversees the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
On August 22, BOEM issued a stop-work order to Ørsted for their Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island, throwing over a thousand union tradesmen and women’s jobs into jeopardy. The project is 80 percent complete and set to deliver affordable, American-made energy to over 350,000 homes.
During the hearing, Rep. Magaziner questioned Suess on the rationale for the stop-work order and the impact on Rhode Islanders’ energy costs and workers. Suess was unable to provide a clear explanation.
Magaziner said during his remarks:
“I come from Rhode Island, where we have been hurting with high energy costs, high electricity costs in particular, for years. And relief is finally in sight because the Revolution Wind Project and offshore wind development are contracted to deliver more than a third of my state’s electricity demand at well below the market rate, saving Rhode Islanders on their energy bills, lowering the cost of business for manufacturers, while employing hundreds of American workers.
"So why have you stopped this project? [...] It is unacceptable. It is hurting my constituents. It is hurting our country, and we need answers.”
Attorney General Neronha files Preliminary Injunction to immediately reverse Revolution Wind stop work order
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong today filed a motion for preliminary injunction in their ongoing lawsuit against the Trump Administration to overturn the stop work order abruptly and arbitrarily issued on August 22, 2025, which halted the construction of Revolution Wind.
Rhode Island and Connecticut filed suit against the Trump Administration on September 4, 2025 in U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island asking the court to overturn the stop work order. Today’s filing lays out the immediate and irreparable harm to Rhode Island and Connecticut and asks the court to impose an injunction to allow work to resume immediately while the case proceeds.
“We have no time to waste in getting Revolution Wind back online, which is why we’re asking the Court to put a stop to this in short order,” said Attorney General Neronha. “In the few weeks since the stop work order was issued, without warning or reason, Rhode Islanders have been harmed, facing daily uncertainty. We have heard difficult stories from union workers who are out of a job, and from businesses who are now reluctant to pursue economic ventures due to the uncertainty created by this Administration’s decision. Further, Rhode Islanders continue to bear the brunt of the rising and increasingly unstable energy costs and environmental harms associated with fossil fuels. In this case, we need relief now for the benefit of Rhode Island, its workers, and its residents. And time is of the essence.”
“Connecticut families and Connecticut workers need Revolution Wind back on track—today,” said Attorney General Tong. “Every day that Revolution Wind sits mothballed in the ocean is another day of unemployment, another day of unaffordable energy costs, and another day burning fossil fuels when clean, affordable, American-made energy is within our sights. We’re asking the court to step in right now, to recognize the irreparable and immediate harm we are suffering, and to stop the Trump Administration’s impulsive and lawless overreach.”
As stated in the motion, immediate injunctive relief is necessary to avert the imminent and irreparable harm the stop order will impose on Rhode Island and Connecticut. Due to the ongoing work stoppage, constraints including contractual deadlines, weather, and cost imperil the Revolution Wind project. With a targeted completion date of November 2026, Revolution Wind must begin operating before key deadlines pass to fulfill its obligations to the utility companies in Rhode Island and Connecticut. The first deadline is December 31, 2026, at which point Revolution Wind must begin generating power. While the stop work order has remained in place for nearly four weeks, delays push the project close to missing critical deadlines. Relief at the end of this case, which could take years, would not be sufficient to ensure that Revolution Wind meets its obligations.
Background
Located fifteen nautical miles off the coast of Rhode Island, Revolution Wind is a wind energy facility expected to deliver enough electricity to the New England grid to power approximately 350,000 homes, or 2.5 percent of the region’s electricity supply, beginning in 2026. Revolution Wind is projected to save Connecticut and Rhode Island ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars over 20 years.
Energy produced by Revolution Wind is an integral component of Rhode Island’s strategy to meet statutory climate action mandates set by the General Assembly, for which there is no readily available alternative. The stop work order will also cause immediate and irreversible harmful impacts on the states, including lost jobs, wasted state resources, reduced future grid reliability, higher electric rates, more air pollution, more greenhouse gas emissions, and business uncertainty.
The complaint against the Department of the Interior, BOEM, and their appointed leaders alleges that such arbitrary and capricious government conduct violates both the Administrative Procedure Act and the government’s authority under OCSLA. Both laws “demand reasoned decision-making, fidelity to statutory limits, and respect for the settled expectations of sovereign States and regulated parties.”
Assistant Attorney General Sarah Rice, Solicitor General Katherine Sadeck, and Special Assistant Attorneys General Nicholas Vaz, Alex Carnevale, and Leonard Giarrano are staffing this litigation for the Attorney General.
Speaker Shekarchi and Senate President Lawson statement on the Revolution Wind lawsuit
“We applaud the lawsuit filed today by Attorney General Peter Neronha to overturn President Trump’s unjustified stop-work order of the Revolution Wind project that is 80 percent completed. This endeavor supports thousands of good-paying private sector Rhode Island jobs and is expected to deliver enough electricity to power several hundred thousand homes in New England. This infusion of new power is important to address energy affordability and costs for Rhode Island consumers. This project is essential for our economy, the environment, and the affordability of our energy supply, and we wholeheartedly support today’s legal action.”
Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressmen Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo released the following statement:
“We thank Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, along with Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, for defending good union jobs and clean energy infrastructure set to deliver low-cost power to Rhode Island working families. We applaud their leadership and support all efforts to ensure the nearly finished Revolution Wind project is completed and brought online to provide clean, American-made, affordable energy to homes across the region."
Sue to gety ther prpoject back up and running , and also charge trump with extortion.
We need "all of the above" to counter Trump's massive folly, and this includes Peter Neronha's legal efforts, the political energy of McKee, Shekarchi, Lawson and their CT counterparts, the workers whose jobs are threatened and related businesses being active, and public pressure of which this is an example thanks to Steve's post and the people commenting here and spreading the word
👏👏👏 We again need to thank AG Neronha for being willing to take a leadership role in fighting this craziness which is a major threat to the future of the people of RI and CT. 👍👍
From a press release:
September 3, 2025 - Assistant Secretary of the Interior Unprepared and Evasive Under Magaziner’s Questioning About Revolution Wind Stop-Work Order
U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner (RI-02), a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, questioned Department of the Interior official Adam Suess about the Department’s decision to issue a stop-work order for the Revolution Wind project. Suess serves as the Acting Assistant Secretary and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the Department of the Interior and oversees the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
You can watch the full exchange between Magaziner and Deputy Assistant Secretary Suess here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWpW000opLU&t=13s
On August 22, BOEM issued a stop-work order to Ørsted for their Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island, throwing over a thousand union tradesmen and women’s jobs into jeopardy. The project is 80 percent complete and set to deliver affordable, American-made energy to over 350,000 homes.
During the hearing, Rep. Magaziner questioned Suess on the rationale for the stop-work order and the impact on Rhode Islanders’ energy costs and workers. Suess was unable to provide a clear explanation.
Magaziner said during his remarks:
“I come from Rhode Island, where we have been hurting with high energy costs, high electricity costs in particular, for years. And relief is finally in sight because the Revolution Wind Project and offshore wind development are contracted to deliver more than a third of my state’s electricity demand at well below the market rate, saving Rhode Islanders on their energy bills, lowering the cost of business for manufacturers, while employing hundreds of American workers.
"So why have you stopped this project? [...] It is unacceptable. It is hurting my constituents. It is hurting our country, and we need answers.”
Neronha speaks calmly and with reason. Stays with the facts. It is a pleasure to listen to him.