Trump's Wind Energy Vendetta: Job Losses and Soaring Prices

President Donald Trump's relentless campaign against offshore wind energy is having devastating consequences for American workers and consumers. According to a new Energy Industries Council report, Trump's policies have resulted in the loss of more than half of planned offshore wind power capacity in just one year.

The Impact on Workers and Energy Costs

Across the country, Americans are facing skyrocketing electricity bills, with average costs in July up 9.5% from just one year ago. These rising energy costs are becoming a critical political issue, expected to play a major role in the 2026 midterm elections.

Trump's executive orders have halted new offshore wind leasing, directed reviews to terminate existing leases, and gutted tax breaks for renewable energy while providing billions in bonuses to the fossil fuel industry.

Baltimore's Green Workforce Fights Back

In Baltimore, electricians and other blue-collar workers are fighting to save offshore wind projects that represent their economic future. Rico Albacarys, political director of IBEW Local 24, leads the charge for what they call the "Green Workforce of the Future."

At the union's Apprenticeship and Training Facility, over 600 trainees annually pass under a banner proclaiming "Green Workforce of the Future." The facility had its largest incoming class on record this year, with more than 90 new members recently sworn into Local 24.

Major Projects Under Threat

The $47 million Sparrows Point Steel project in Baltimore, which would power approximately 700,000 homes and create thousands of jobs, had its federal funding pulled by the Trump administration in August. Multiple lawsuits are now pending as workers fight to save what could be one of the largest renewable energy job creators in the region.

Jim Strong of the United Steelworkers Union explains that crews planned to retrofit the historic Bethlehem Steel Plant site, which once employed 33,000 workers, to produce components for offshore wind turbines. "We had history and now we have a future with the return of steel workers here," Strong says.

The Human Cost of Policy Decisions

Climate Power estimates that more than 158,000 jobs have been lost or stalled in the renewable energy sector in the past year alone. Meanwhile, growth in clean energy jobs continues to outpace fossil fuels, which are shedding workers despite record production levels.

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) summarizes the situation: "Clearly, getting rid of enough wind to supply hundreds of thousands of homes is going to drive prices higher, that's simple supply and demand."

The Economic Reality

Research from asset management firm Lazard confirms that wind and solar energy projects are less expensive to bring online than nearly all fossil fuel projects, even without federal tax incentives. Wind power has been shown to significantly reduce energy costs in markets where it's been implemented.

Despite this economic reality, Trump's administration continues to issue stop-work orders on nearly completed projects, leaving construction crews stranded and communities without the good-paying jobs and affordable energy they were promised.