California filed suit against the Trump administration and a wind power company over a massive buyout to terminate a power project off the Central Coast.
Golden State Wind was one of three companies with a lease to build a wind power facility in the ocean off Morro Bay. The two-gigawatt facility would have generated enough electricity to power up to two million homes.
But the Trump administration is trying to shut down wind power projects off the nation’s coastline, in favor of fossil fuels. It reached a deal with Golden State to terminate the lease and receive a $120 million payment. As part of the deal, the company must invest an equal amount of money in out-of-state fossil fuel projects.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Energy Commission filed the lawsuit against the federal government and the company Friday.
The suit claims the deal jeopardizes thousands of jobs and the state’s investment in the offshore wind industry. It also says the $120 million deal is an unlawful use of taxpayer dollars.
