Port of Long Beach Wind Turbine Project Blocked by Presidential Executive Order

On Dec. 18, 2024, the Port of Long Beach announced it was stepping into a partnership deal with the California State Lands Commission and Humboldt in order to further the advancement of Pier Wind; a massive $4.7 billion project that aims to meet the state’s goal of transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy by 2045, through the development of floating offshore wind turbines off of the California coastline.

However, that project may now be left at a standstill, as the recently-inaugurated President Donald Trump issued a new executive order on Jan. 20, halting the leasing of federal lands and waters for new wind farms, as well as the development of new wind farms on federal land.

President Trump’s reasoning behind the executive order comes from a media conference held on Jan. 7 at Mar-A-Lago, where the former president-elect claimed that the development and usage of wind turbines causes a multitude of economic and ecological problems for the country.

“They [wind turbines] litter our country. They're littered all over our country, like dropping paper, like dropping garbage in a field, and that's what happens to them, because in a period of time, they turn to garbage, most expensive energy ever,” said Trump during the Jan. 7 media conference. “They only work if you get subsidy, and the only people that want them are the people that are getting rich off windmills [wind turbines] – getting massive subsidies from the US government. And it's the most expensive energy there is. It's many, many times more expensive than clean natural gas.”

According to the executive order’s official memorandum, “This withdrawal temporarily prevents consideration of any area in the OCS for any new or renewed wind energy leasing for the purposes of generation of electricity or any other such use derived from the use of wind.  This withdrawal does not apply to leasing related to any other purposes such as, but not limited to, oil, gas, minerals and environmental conservation.”

While the executive order does not call for a freeze on any and all wind projects that are already under construction, the order’s memorandum states that the U.S. Attorney General and Secretary of the Interior are directed to look into the possibility of terminating any leases that have already been issued – including ones such as Pier Wind.

“Nothing in this withdrawal affects rights under existing leases in the withdrawn areas,” the memorandum states. “With respect to such existing leases, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the attorney general as needed, shall conduct a comprehensive review of the ecological, economic, and environmental necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases, identifying any legal bases for such removal, and submit a report with recommendations to the president, through the assistant to the president for economic policy.”

Beachcomber reached out to the Port of Long Beach for comments on the president’s executive order, to which the port issued the following statement from POLB CEO Mario Cordero:

“The energy grid is not keeping up with the pace needed to support data infrastructure, cybersecurity and electrification investments across the U.S. supply chain that are critical to moving goods with greater efficiencies and cost savings. Energy resiliency and security are imperative to the Port of Long Beach’s operations where energy consumption is expected to increase at least six-fold in less than five years. A diverse energy portfolio that includes offshore wind and clean fuels is needed to protect our national strategic seaport and the second-busiest container port in the nation. We look forward to working with the administration in unlocking the tremendous economic benefits that offshore wind has to offer.”

According to the American Clean Power Association (ACP), wind energy is the largest source of renewable electricity generated in the United States, providing 10.1% of the country’s electricity – as well as currently providing 25% of the electricity produced in eight states and growing. The ACP also reports that wind energy avoided 351 million metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2024.