This has been a long time in coming, Save Jerseyans.
The negative impact of offshore wind development on tourism and marine life is well established. Back in early 2023, I wrote about the building body of evidence suggesting that giant, radar-confusing turbines off of the East Coast also posed a threat to navigation and national security.
“Although the base of the tower is stationary, the nominal area of the turbine to the radar is dynamic since the machine is constantly tracking the wind,” explained Wind Systems Magazine way back in 2010. “Wind turbines are made of highly reflective materials—steel, fiberglass, and carbon fiber composite—and can scatter and return a significant amount of the energy. The turbine tower is the most reflective component, but since it is constantly stationary the rotor is the largest problem to the radar. In most cases the signature can be quite large and can affect the radars/operator’s ability to differentiate the wind farm from flying aircraft and weather storms. The Doppler effect is due to the moving rotor and can affect the moving target indicator of a radar.”
“Anyone who has been paying close attention to the shoddy and reckless approval process for these offshore wind projects will not be fooled by this after-the-fact proposal—which is far too little and far too late,” added Congressman Chris Smith (R, NJ-04) in October 2024. “For years, we have been pointing out the lack of serious scrutiny and proper vetting for these projects—especially and including the likely dire impacts on national security and military readiness—but the Biden-Harris Administration has ignored our concerns,” Smith added. “In fact, the implementation of this agreement so late in the process begs the question of what national security threats have been downplayed or neglected by BOEM over the past few years during its reckless, fast-track approval process.”
On Monday, the Trump Administration relied upon the clear threat to our homeland to issue a general pause on all active offshore wind projects.
“Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers,” said Doug Burgum, the Secretary of the Interior. “The Trump administration will always prioritize the security of the American people.”
This new executive action impacts Empire Wind which would be visible from many of New Jersey’s iconic beach communities. Two weeks ago, Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down the President’s original January 20, 2025 order halting the issuance of new offshore wind leases.
Burgum joined Fox News on Monday to explain the Administration’s latest effort to protect the coastline:
🚨 JUST IN: It’s been revealed that the FIVE offshore windmill projects being terminated by President Trump and Sec. Doug Burgum could be replaced with *ONE* natural gas pipeline to produce the same amount of energy.
WIND ENERGY SUCKS! Trump is right!pic.twitter.com/g1YZ91Wrlb
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 22, 2025
