The decision restarts work on the project, the second with a state power supply contract affected by the work halt and the second-largest in capacity of the five East Coast projects that had been shut down. Sunrise Wind is 45% complete, with about 44 of its 85 turbine foundations installed. 

Project developer Orsted said in its January court filing that it spent or committed more than $7 billion to date to build the project, and that if the stop-work order was not lifted by Feb 6, the project would no longer have access to its specialized construction vessels to complete turbine construction and installation of the 80-mile offshore cable to connect generated power to a land-based transmission network. That would delay revenue generation, compromise the project's financial viability “and create a substantial risk of its cancellation,” the company said, adding that the cable installation is a “critical inflection point” for the project since its support vessel would not be accessible again until third-quarter 2027.

According to Oceantic Network, a sector trade group, the Sunrise Wind supply chain “stretches across 34 states and has driven more than $1.9 billion worth of investments while supporting more than 4,290 American jobs in construction, operations, shipbuilding and manufacturing sectors.” It said that ten shipyards in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas built or retrofitted more than 16 vessels operating at the site, while a “robust steel supply chain from New York to North Carolina, the Gulf Coast and Midwest” sourced the project’s secondary steel and turbine components.

Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, ruled similarly last month for the 704-MW Revolution Wind project between Rhode Island and Connecticut, which was the first of the five challenges decided. In between, three other federal judges in Norfolk, Washington and Boston dismissed the administration's action to curtail completion of the 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia offshore wind project off Virginia Beach; 810-MW Empire Wind south of New York City and 810-MW Vineyard Wind project off Massachusetts—with all three nearly completed or at the 60% mark. 

Lamberth also ruled against a separate administration-ordered halt of Revolution Wind last September.

Vineyard Wind won its construction reprieve on Jan. 27, with only a few of its 62 turbines left to install and the project allowed under the Trump order to generate 572 MW of power from those now operating. “Based on the government's own contentions ... the issuance of relief will not substantially impede the government's interests ... while Vineyard Wind is likely to suffer irreparable harm,” said Boston-based district court Judge Brian Murphy. “All court factors weigh in Vineyard Wind's favor.” 

Taylor Rogers, an administration spokesperson, did not indicate when, or if, the government would appeal the Sunrise Wind ruling, or any of the others, but stated that its push to develop more oil, gas, coal and nuclear energy is “driving economic growth to create new jobs across our economy.” 

Even so, “it’s impossible to impact offshore wind and not hurt the oil and gas industry,” because of the sectors' interdependence in vessel and equipment supply, consulting and other aspects, Sam Salustro, Oceantic Network senior vice president of policy and market affairs, told E&E News.

Court decisions are also still ahead on the larger merit issues of the project challenges.

According to sector research by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, a think tank, smaller U.S. offshore wind sites now operating already demonstrate strong power-generating potential. It said that two test turbines totaling 12 MW that have operated since 2020 near the Virginia CVOW project site recorded an average power generating capacity factor of 57.5% when measured from November 2024 to April 2025. It said coal plants' generation potential recorded then was just 46% in that period.

Grid operators also are counting on offshore wind supply. "While [ISO-New England] forecasts enough generation capacity is available for the current season, canceling or delaying these projects will increase costs and risks to reliability in our region,” it said in a statement following the stop-work orders on Revolution Wind and Vineyard Wind.

Permitting Reform Talks Could Resume

Meanwhile, Congress is watching how the battle plays out, with action on permitting reform halted by Democrats in response to the stop-work orders.

At a Jan. 28 hearing, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) expressed a desire to develop and pass permitting reform legislation that could withstand changing priorities of different administrations. “We have all had communities we represent impacted by projects that were delayed or outright canceled by new administrations,” she said, adding that any new legislation must be bipartisan and project neutral. 

Bechtel Chairman and CEO Brendan Bechtel noted to legislators the urgency in enacting reforms. "Our global competitors are advancing critical infrastructure projects faster. China is one of them, and other countries seeking long-term foreign infrastructure partners are taking notice in strategic sectors like nuclear energy, semiconductor manufacturing and AI infrastructure," he told legislators, referencing a 700-MW Canadian hydroproject that was permitted in 2.5 years but noting a nearly double timeline on average in the U.S. "Americans aren't seeing the jobs, spending or growth that these projects would and should be generating," said Bechtel. 

"The unrealized, induced GDP impact of these delays" is up to $2.4 trillion, he said, a trend that threatens American economic leadership and its "hard-won" global influence.

“We have seen the canceling of funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the halting of Inflation Reduction Act projects, and the use of executive authority to revoke permits from already approved, privately financed infrastructure projects,” testified Brent Booker, Laborers’ International Union of North America general president. “These actions raise a fundamental question for this committee: What good is permitting reform, if any project, no matter how far along, can be shut down at the stroke of a pen?”  

But Environment and Public Works Committee ranking Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), said he, along with Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), his counterpart on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said bipartisan negotiations on permitting reform remain on hold for the time being because of the administration's actions against offshore wind and other clean energy project, under “demonstrably false” pretexts such as national security concerns or excessive costs.

Republicans also are raising concerns to the administration. In a joint letter last month to the Interior and Defense Secretaries, House members Jeff Hurd of Colorado; Don Bacon of Nebraska; Nick LaLota, Andrew Garbarino and Michael Lawler of New York; Rob Bresnahan and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania; and Jen Kiggans and Robert Wittman of Virginia sought more details on “how radar interference, environmental tradeoffs, long-term subsidy exposure, workforce impacts and broader national security considerations were assessed” for wind projects. 

"Like many of the constituents we represent, we support an all-of-the-above energy strategy that treats all energy sources fairly, carefully weighs legitimate security risks and real environmental impacts, and does not lock Americans into unsustainable energy mandates," the letter stated. "America’s energy policy should be grounded in facts, fiscal responsibility, and the national interest—not ideology or politics."