Attorney General Bonta Sends Notice of Intent to File Suit Challenging Trump Administration’s Third Unlawful Offshore Wind Deal

September 1, 2026 Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Energy Commission (CEC) today sent a Notice of Intent to Sue targeting an unlawful agreement between the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and RWE U.S. Offshore (RWE) that would undermine California’s offshore wind energy development. Under the agreement, DOI will illegally reallocate $1.22 billion in federal taxpayer dollars to pay RWE to abandon its affiliates’ offshore wind energy leases in federal waters off the coasts of California, Louisiana, and New York, and require RWE to invest the same amount in out-of-state fossil-fuel projects that will do nothing to support California’s energy economy. If allowed to proceed, the lease buyout threatens to set back California’s burgeoning offshore wind industry, stranding public investments in ports’ offshore wind capacity, and damaging supporting industries and clean energy jobs. “Don’t be fooled, this agreement is just another ploy to kill offshore wind projects and slip millions of dollars into the hands of President Trump’s donors and business partners. Yet again, the Trump Administration is tryi