U.S. President Donald Trump suspended new federal offshore wind leasing on his first day back in the Oval Office on Jan. 20, pending an environmental and economic review.

The Maryland Public Service Commission has approved US Wind’s bid to revise and expand its planned project off the coast of Delmarva.

Order issued in late hours of president’s first day in office exempts existing leases but calls for further environmental and economic impact assessment

The political winds in Washington, D.C., have shifted against offshore wind energy plans that include at least one ambitious and controversial project proposed for Hawaii.

Offshore wind is a fledgling industry in the U.S. — one that, until this week, was poised for renewal after a slew of cancelled projects. The Biden administration had set a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of projects by 2030 (approximately a 150-fold increase from the current amount of offshore wind generation nationwide),

Trump's order has no immediate effect on wind leases already authorized. But it sends a current of uncertainty through the fledgling renewable energy industry, which relies on government support.

The president’s social media broadsides represent a big risk for Atlantic Shores, the only active project with a federal permit to build turbines off the state’s coast.