Offshore wind has been the target of a sustained attack throughout President Donald Trump’s second term but, speaking at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2026, Oceantic Network president Liz Burdock insisted that “storms pass”.
In her keynote address, she argued that the US’ offshore wind sector was both fighting back and laying essential groundwork for long-term expansion. “Behind the headlines, we are emerging with a stronger legal foundation, clearer authority, clearer processes and stronger precedent,” she said.
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The legal foundation is certainly solidifying. In December 2025, US courts ruled that Trump’s permitting ban was ‘unlawful’, siding with the 17 states that sued the government. When the administration subsequently paused five offshore wind permits less than two weeks later, the courts moved to clear all five within eight weeks.
“The industry and states responded in the only way we can. We went to court with data, with evidence, and we won,” said Burdock. “Courts reaffirmed a legally permitted industry cannot arbitrarily be shut down.”
The weight of this precedent for offshore wind in the US is also becoming apparent. In April, the Energy Information Administration reported that electricity demand had increased by an average of 2.1% per year since 2021, following a 15-year plateau.
This surge is driven by data centres, electrification and advanced manufacturing, but rising energy consumption is colliding with increasingly fragile energy supply chains, placing pressure on energy security. Burdock suggested it was not a coincidence that no state had reduced its offshore wind procurement goals under Trump 2.0.
“No one in the US industry is retreating,” said Burdock. “Headlines are missing what is actually happening. This moment, while difficult, creates opportunities and changes what is possible. It gives us both a mission and an obligation to build something stronger.”
Yet she acknowledged that the administration’s barrage was causing overall harm to the sector. “This is not a dead industry, but the pressure is real. Honestly, every day does feel like a crisis.”
Indeed, each legal victory for the US offshore wind sector has been followed by a new stumbling block from the White House.
Following its series of defeats in court, the administration began offering repayments of lease fees to operators in return for relinquishing licences, paying out almost $2bn so far. In March, the Department of the Interior paid TotalEnergies almost $1bn to relinquish its two offshore leases off New York and North Carolina. Then, in April, it agreed to repay Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind the $885m they paid in lease fees under the Biden administration.
Burdock was confident about the long-term picture, however, and called the administration’s tactics “targeted pressure, but not structural change”. The industry appears to agree, and California’s Energy Commission has issued an administrative subpoena to Golden State Wind to investigate the voluntary termination of its lease and the payout.
“It is not a question of if but of how soon”, said Burdock, looking ahead. “Offshore wind 2.0 […] will be built for speed. When the second wave moves, capacity will matter and organisations will need to be ready.
“We hope that [delegates] won’t focus on the headlines, because the headlines are focused on the storms,” concluded Burdock. “Storms pass, and after the storm, the horizon opens.”
