Press Release  AG Campbell Files Amicus Brief in Support of Vineyard Wind's Lawsuit Challenging Arbitrary Federal Suspension Order

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today filed an amicus brief in support of Vineyard Wind in its lawsuit against the Trump Administration for attempting to halt construction on the nearly complete Vineyard Wind project, which is expected to provide power to more than 400,000 homes in the Commonwealth. In her brief, AG Campbell argues that the completion of the Vineyard Wind project is critical to meeting increased energy demand with affordable, reliable energy, protecting the state’s economy, and achieving Massachusetts’s clean energy goals. The brief encourages the Court to grant Vineyard Wind’s motion to temporarily block the federal government’s stop work order as the company’s case proceeds. 

“Just weeks away from completion and already partially operational, the Vineyard Wind Project is a critical source of clean, reliable, and affordable energy for Massachusetts residents. The completion of this project is essential to ensuring our ability to lower costs, meet rising energy demand, advance our climate goals, and sustain thousands of good paying jobs,” said AG Campbell. “My office fully supports Vineyard Wind as it seeks to challenge the Trump Administration’s baseless and arbitrary directive–which is plainly aimed at undermining the growth of the clean energy sector and further jeopardize the health and wellbeing of our communities.” 

On December 22, 2025, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued an Order suspending ongoing activities related to the Vineyard Wind 1 Project for at least 90 days. The Order was based on a directive from the U.S. Department of Defense requesting an assessment of the national security implications of offshore wind projects, alluding to an unspecified and vague harm. To date, BOEM and the U.S. Department of the Interior have refused to clarify or identify any project-specific national security threat posed by Vineyard Wind.

The Vineyard Wind Project, which began construction in 2021 and was scheduled for completion by March 31, 2026, was supposed to consist of 62 wind turbine generators with an 800-megawatt capacity, enough to supply power to approximately 400,000 homes. At the time the Order was issued, the project was 95 percent complete and partially operational, already capable of delivering 572 megawatts of power to the New England electric grid. As a result of the arbitrary work stop order, Vineyard Wind has incurred losses of approximately $2.0 million per day in direct and indirect costs, including insurance, monthly interest, personnel expenses, and logistical setup.

In her brief, AG Campbell argues that if the BOEM’s Order is not enjoined, Massachusetts and its residents would face serious economic harm, undermining the Commonwealth’s ability to plan for and secure lower-cost, reliable energy for ratepayers and jeopardizing the creation of good-paying jobs. In just the last week, Massachusetts ratepayers have lost over $2 million in benefits from the project as a result of the Order. If the Order is enjoined, the project will reduce electricity bills by approximately $252 per year. 

The Vineyard Wind Project is also critical to meeting Massachusetts’s legal obligations to procure offshore wind energy, increase reliance on renewable energy sources, and reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions. Without the Project, Massachusetts would lose an important tool for protecting residents and the environment from the significant public health and environmental harms caused by pollution from fossil fuel energy sources.

This action is AG Campbell’s latest effort to protect the offshore wind industry from the federal government’s attacks. In May 2025, AG Campbell co-led a coalition of attorneys general in successfully suing the Trump Administration over its unlawful attempt to freeze the development of wind energy. Yesterday, Attorney General Campbell led a coalition of 20 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia in filing an amicus brief in defense of the states’ decades-long investments in large-scale wind and solar energy projects as a means of ensuring reliable, clean, and affordable electricity for their residents. 

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