ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — Opponents of offshore wind projects expect President-elect Donald Trump to kill an industry he promised to end on his first day back in the White House.

But it might not be that easy.

Many of the largest offshore wind companies put on a brave face over the election results, pledging to work with Trump and Congress to build energy projects and ignoring the incoming president’s often-stated hostility to them.

In campaign appearances, Trump criticized offshore wind and promised to sign an executive order to block such projects.

“We’re going to make sure this ends on Day 1,” Trump said in a speech in May. “I’m going to write it into an executive order. It will end on day 1.”

“They destroy everything, they’re horrible, the most expensive energy there is,” Trump said. “They’re destroying the environment, they’re killing the birds, they’re killing the whales.”

Numerous federal and state science agencies say there is no evidence linking offshore wind training to a series of whale deaths along the US East Coast in recent years. Turbines are known to kill shorebirds, but industry and regulators say policies are in place to mitigate environmental damage.

Trump has criticized offshore wind turbines that spoil the view from a golf course he owns in Scotland. But many environmental groups say the real reason they oppose offshore wind is its support for the fossil fuel industry.

There are nearly 65 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity under development in the U.S., enough to power more than 26 million homes, and some turbines are already spinning in several states, according to the American Clean Power Association.

Currently operating projects include the Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island, the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Pilot Project and the South Fork Wind Farm about 35 miles (56 kilometers) east of Montauk Point on New York’s Long Island.

Trump is unlikely to complete those projects, but he could have more influence on those still in the planning stages, debate insiders say.

Bob Stern, who led a U.S. Department of Energy office responsible for environmental protection during the Ford, Carter and Reagan administrations, said Trump may get Congress to reduce or eliminate tax credits for offshore wind that were granted in The Biden Administration’s Inflation Relief Act. These credits are an integral part of the finances of many offshore wind projects.

Stern, who heads the New Jersey anti-offshore wind group Save LBI, said Trump could also issue executive orders to ban further offshore leases and rescind approval of those already approved, while pushing Congress to amend federal laws that give more protection to marine mammals.

The president-elect may also appoint leaders of agencies involved in offshore wind regulation who would be hostile or less supportive.

Opponents of offshore wind, many of them Republicans, were reeling from the election, saying they fully expected Trump to end the industry.

“I think this is a tipping point for the offshore wind industry in America,” said Robin Shaffer, president of Protect Our Coast NJ, one of the most vocal groups opposing offshore wind on the East Coast. “They’ve been given a slippery slope by Democratic-led federal and state administrations for many years. For this industry, (Tuesday’s) results will bring headwinds far greater than they’ve faced before.”

But Tina Zappile, director of the Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University in New Jersey, noted that in 2018, Trump’s Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke expressed strong support for offshore wind. And even though the president-elect has destroyed the technology, she predicted he won’t just make it go away.

“Offshore wind may appear to be on the block — Trump has explicitly said this would be resolved on day one — but when the offshore wind economy is aligned with his overall strategies to bring manufacturing back to America and become energy. .. independently, his administration is likely to slowly back away from that claim,” she said in an interview. “Offshore wind may be temporarily hampered, but its long-term prospects in the US are unlikely to be affected.”

Maine commercial fishermen said they hoped the Trump administration would roll back policies meant to help build and approve offshore wind projects, saying regulators sought to “future-proof” the industry against political changes. Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, called on Trump to reverse the pledge to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030.

The offshore wind industry is taking an optimistic stance, pledging to work with Trump, his political allies. National and New Jersey wind industry groups and several offshore wind developers, including Denmark-based Atlantic Shores and Orsted, issued similar statements highlighting terms that could appeal to Republicans, including job creation, economic development and national security.

“By combining the strengths of all domestic energy resources, the Trump administration can promote an economy that is dynamic, secure and clean,” Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, said in a statement. “We are committed to working with the Trump-Vance administration and the new Congress to continue this great American success story.”

But few Republicans were in a welcoming mood after the election. New Jersey Rep. Paul Kanitra listed the big offshore wind companies in a Facebook post, saying, “It’s time to pack your bags and get the hell away from the Jersey Shore, our marine life, our fishing industry and our beaches beautiful”.

Kanitra said he was looking forward to “falling share prices”. And that was starting to happen.

Share prices of European offshore wind companies, many of which are planning or building projects on the US East Coast, fell on fears that the new administration would try to slow or end such projects. Orsted fell nearly 14 percent on Wednesday and is down 11 percent over the past five days. Turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems fell nearly 24% over the same period.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican from New Jersey, hosted Trump at a rally earlier this year, where Trump again promised to kill offshore wind.

“We’re currently working out the details of what that will look like once he takes office again in January,” VanDrew said. “President Trump is a good friend of New Jersey and understands the devastating impact these projects will have on our communities. .”

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