Democratic attorneys general from California and New York filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on September 22, 2026, regarding its plans to buy back offshore wind leases. California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated that the lawsuit addresses the removal of a wind project off the California coast planned by Invenergy. In June, the Trump administration announced it would buy back U.S. offshore wind leases for four projects located on the East and West coasts.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading a coalition of seven states in lawsuits aimed at blocking the Invenergy deal and another proposal involving Bluepoint Wind, which agreed in April to halt a wind farm project off the New York and New Jersey coast.
The agreements would allocate $1.4 billion in taxpayer funds to energy companies in exchange for canceling multiple projects. The Trump administration has committed nearly $4 billion to companies to abandon projects nationwide.
James criticized the deals as illegal, asserting they would lead to higher electricity costs for Americans by undermining states' capabilities to meet rising energy demands. In a statement, she said, "Americans are facing increasing energy costs because this administration would rather pay off energy companies than let us build the new power sources we need."
Bonta emphasized California's leadership in combating climate change and expressed frustration over the need to take legal action against the federal government to promote clean energy initiatives. He stated, "Because we have to go to court and block an unlawful action by the Trump administration each time, it takes time. It slows the process down and we know we are running out of time and we need to be urgent and aggressive."
Attorneys general from Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont have joined New York's lawsuit.