Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a longtime opponent of offshore wind industrialization, issued the attached statement following the Trump administration’s announcement that the Depts. of the Interior and War have paused the leases for five major offshore wind farms—including Empire Wind off the New Jersey and New York coasts—due to national security concerns:

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum on May 7, 2025.

                “I am grateful to President Donald Trump and Secretary Doug Burgum for their leadership in assessing ocean wind’s threats to national security and radar interference.  The safety and security of the American people should always be at the forefront of U.S. policy.

                “As I have argued from day one—ocean wind projects pose significant, catastrophic impacts to radar, putting military and civilian aircrafts and vessels at grave risk.

                “This concern has been raised in a number of studies, including the April 2025 Offshore Wind Energy report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an analysis I requested, along with many of my colleagues, and was also called for in my legislation passed by the House—by a margin of 244 to 189—nearly three years ago.

                “As early as 2023, I joined Fox News’ Madison Alworth in Middletown, NJ to highlight the numerous national security and navigational risks associated with offshore wind industrialization.

Rep. Smith debates in favor of his FAA amendment on July 20, 2023.

                “That same year, the House passed my amendment requiring the President or his designee to certify that offshore wind projects ‘will not weaken, degrade, interfere with, or nullify the capability of radar relied upon the Federal Aviation Administration or the Armed Forces.’

                “It is particularly important that among the five offshore wind projects suspended by the Trump administration, Empire Wind is one of them—a project I have vehemently opposed for years.

                “Empire Wind’s close proximity to major international airports, including Newark Liberty, LaGuardia, and JFK, and critical military installations, such as Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Naval Weapons Station Earle, make the project especially dangerous. It must be halted. 

                “Projects like Empire Wind have already threatened New Jersey’s commercial and recreational fishing industries, as well as our tourism industry and the ocean environment, which is now recovering after years of pollution. And, these projects are extremely expensive, creating undue burdens on taxpayers—which I discussed with Martha MacCallum in July of 2023. 

                “I look forward to working alongside the Trump administration in ensuring that these dangerous offshore wind projects are stopped.”

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