The White House today notified Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) that the Trump Administration, through its Department of Interior, has cancelled three scheduled public hearings for the Vineyard Mid-Atlantic project off the coast of New Jersey.

   This news comes in direct response to Smith’s January 29th letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) asking why the Bureau was proceeding with public hearings despite President Trump’s January 20^th Executive Order pausing the offshore wind approval process.

   “We are grateful to President Trump for his insightful executive order and his decisive action today ensuring that BOEM complies with it, canceling its dubious public hearings aimed at propping up the Vineyard Mid-Atlantic offshore wind project,” said Smith, who represents shore towns in Monmouth and Ocean County.

   “Under the new Trump Administration, bureaucrats at BOEM and their allies in the massive foreign energy companies will no longer be able to ride roughshod over the concerns of local New Jersey communities, jeopardize national security, and destroy the critical environmental and cultural resources that compromise our beloved Jersey Shore.”

   Smith noted that President trump’s order to pause remains in effect and is needed to secure a comprehensive assessment and review of the Federal wind leasing process and to examine its many shortcomings, including, “potential inadequacies in various environmental reviews required by the National Environmental Policy Act.”

   Smith’s letter is the latest in his ongoing effort to point out the lack of serious scrutiny, proper environmental vetting, and legal deficiency of these projects. He introduced legislation—which was passed by the House of Representatives in July 2023—that would require presidential certification that offshore wind projects would not “weaken, degrade, interfere with, or nullify the capability of radar relied upon by the Federal Aviation Administration or the Armed Forces.”

   This news follows the announcement of Shell Energy’s recent decision to pull out of the Atlantic Shores South project off the coast of New Jersey and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ decision to cancel its fourth offshore wind solicitation, and proves that through the efforts of President Trump, residents of the shore, and those of us telling the truth in Congress, the white wash is finally over for these terrible projects.”

                                                                                               ###