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California files lawsuit over Morro Bay offshore wind energy plans

September 28, 2026

By KAREN VELIE

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Energy Commission filed a lawsuit last week against the Trump Administration and Invenergy challenging their agreement to end a wind energy lease off the coast of Morro Bay.

As part of the pact, the Department of the Interior reallocated over $111 million in federal funds to pay Invenergy to terminate its lease off the Central Coast. Invenergy is required to invest the funds in other U.S. energy sources.

“At a time when we need more reliable, clean energy, President Trump is trying to send $111 million to his fossil fuel industry friends and wants taxpayers and working families to cover the tab,” Bonta said. “This outrageous abuse of taxpayer dollars will damage the offshore wind industry and create unnecessary obstacles to clean and reliable energy powering our homes and economies.”

In 2022, the federal government auctioned off three offshore wind energy sites located between 20 and 30 miles off the coast near Morro Bay for more than $400 million. Invenergy secured the lease of an 80,418-acre site in Dec. 2022 at a federal auction for $145.3 million.

In Dec. 2025, based on national security concerns, the Trump administration suspended leases of all off-shore wind farms currently under construction in the United States. Since then, many wind energy projects have stalled or ended through signed agreements.

The Trump administration announced in June it had made a deal with Invenergy to end four offshore wind leases located off the coasts of San Luis Obispo County, New York and Maine. As part of the pact, Invenergy will redirect $765 million towards other domestic energy sources.

In his lawsuit, Bonta Claims the Trump Administration’s buyout deal with Invenergy violates numerous federal laws because it uses a “sham settlement to bypass the rules that Congress set down for the offshore energy leasing program including shareholder participation.”

“Instead, it was a fabricated arrangement designed to justify the unlawful cancellation of another offshore wind lease,” according to the California Attorney General’s Office. “California is asking the court to strike down the blatantly unlawful agreement and to stop the administration from implementing this illegal deal.”

In addition, the attorney generals of New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont also filed two joint lawsuits on Sept. 22 challenging additional offshore wind lease buyouts.

In late April, The Trump administration announced that it made a deals to end the Golden State Wind lease off the coast of Morro Bay. With two of the three leases off the coast of Morro Bay canceled, the only lease remaining is with Equinor.

These settlement agreements provide partial reimbursement for offshore wind leases that required significant taxpayer support. By ending these leases and encouraging investment in reliable, cost-effective conventional energy sources, the settlement agreements promote mutually beneficial projects, according to the Trump administration.

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16 Comments

Whatever happened to “save the whales”? Not to mention the birds. And not to mention taxpayers. Good grief. “Science” fails again.


30

Rob Bonta is a prostitute of the highest money politics bidder. EcoFascism is a gigantic money heist that has nothing to do with the environment.


26

First line third paragraph, At a time when we need more reliable energy, says it all. Mammoth floating wind generators 20 miles offshore is more reliable than what? Underground solar, earthquake driven power plants or rain fall waterwheels.


10

Offshore wind farms are the ugliest idea since offshore oil. Come on Surfrider and Coastal commission, step up on this issue and condemn offshore wind! Plant your windmills in the desert.


15

No thank you. The desert ecosystems have taken enough of a beating from the giant corrupt solar farm boondoggles. Corruption which was documented in a real study, by the way, which (surprise, surprise…) got almost no media coverage:


https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211467X25000902


Kill the offshore wind, kill the giant solar farms (reptile death camps) and kill the onshore windmills (raptor death camps). Build some modern, 21st-Century gas-fired plants and above all, small modular reactors. But please, let’s cut the tortoises, snakes, and lizards some slack. The deserts are unique ecosystems that can’t take much more.


2

Bonta does not care that offshore wind energy is not efficient or that the people don’t want it. All he cares about is selling the leases and generating revenue for the state


27

I wish it was that simple


-2

We the People, we pay these public servents salerys, we don’t want that trash here in our town, and our ocean, what part of no don’t these hacks understand.


42

Excellent to see this action by the State of CA. Commitments were made to move forward in possibly installing wind energy off our coast and California truly needs to expand its energy generation capabilities, including offshore wind. We must not “cut off our nose to spite our face”, as pursuing such major projects takes many years and should NEVER be impacted by political views. Science, and California energy needs and planning, must always take precedent. Tell the U.S. government to go pound sand, which, for them, is extremely productive.


-66

Are you also a cheerleader for the grossly over-budgeted high speed train that may be operational in time for our great great grandkids birthday??


26

Science pled the Fifth.


24

I have a hunch you have a parallel attitude about “moving forward” with California’s transportation “needs and planning” of the “major project” better known as Newsom’s high-speed rail boondoggle connecting Bakersfield and Merced.


19

More craziness by our elected officials. One government entity that runs on taxpayers’ money suing another government entity that is funded by the taxpayers. No matter which side wins, we taxpayers lose.


30

Do as we say or Bonta will sue….but no kings


31
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