FOR YOUR PRACTICE | ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CHANGES
Steering the Future:
Navigating Change in Maryland's Offshore Wind Energy Development BY GLADYS P. MILES, ESQ.
THE MARYLAND OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY ACT OF 2013 amended the
State’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard to establish the state’s first offshore wind goals and Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credit to encourage development.
AS PART OF HIS “DAY 1” Agenda, President Donald J. Trump issued a memorandum that temporarily withdraws all areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from consideration for new or renewed offshore wind-related leases, permits, rights-of-way, loans, and approvals. This moratorium took effect on January 21, 2025, and remains in effect until revoked, pending the outcome of a comprehensive review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices. The memorandum also directs the
Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior (Secretary) to separately review and provide recommendations on whether to terminate or amend existing leases within the withdrawn area and identify the legal grounds for such action.1 This directive signals a significant shift in U.S. energy policy, which could potentially slow—or even reverse—the progress the State of Maryland has made under previous federal leadership. This article examines the President’s directive and discusses how the State is responding to the Federal policy shift.2
1 Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects, 90 Fed. Reg. 8363 (Jan. 29, 2025). 2 Climate change was the central focus of domestic and foreign policy for the previous administration. Executive Order (EO) 14008 sought to double the nation’s offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and put