The Trump administration is terminating and withdrawing $679 million in funding for 12 offshore wind projects, including a marine terminal project on the coast in Humboldt, California. The Humboldt Bay Heavy Lift Terminal had the largest withdrawal in federal support at almost $427 million. The funding cancellation largely targeted ports and staging areas that were to be used to assemble offshore wind turbines.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the withdrawal on August 29, 2025, stating that “[w]asteful, wind projects are using resources that could otherwise go towards revitalizing America’s maritime industry.”
There are five federal offshore wind leases off of California’s coast, including two sites for 1.5 GW of wind energy in the Humboldt Wind Energy Area (WEA). The lease areas were part of the Biden administration’s national target of 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030. The Humboldt Bay Heavy Lift Terminal was to be used to assemble and launch floating wind turbines for the Humboldt WEA.
Offshore wind is part of the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) strategic plan to meet the state’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2045. The plan calls for two to five gigawatts (GW) of floating offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 25 GW by 2045.
The Trump administration has withdrawn support for offshore wind. In January, President Donald Trump withdrew the Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from offshore wind leasing and called for a review of the Federal government’s leasing and permitting practices for wind energy projects.
California and other states are challenging Trump’s pause on wind energy development. A coalition of states filed a lawsuit that seeks to block Trump’s withdrawal of the OCS from offshore wind leasing.