California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the New York Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, seeking to stop a plan announced by the Trump administration to repurchase offshore wind lease rights and cancel related projects. The legal action targets the administration’s effort to buy back leases covering offshore wind development in California’s waters and to halt projects that have been approved under those leases.
The complaint argues that the proposed lease buyback would interrupt ongoing offshore wind development and shift energy policy toward continued reliance on fossil fuels. By seeking a court order, the states aim to prevent the administration from moving forward with the repurchase and to preserve the existing lease agreements that support renewable energy projects in the region.
The lawsuit follows a June announcement in which the Trump administration detailed its intention to purchase back offshore wind lease rights across multiple coastal areas. The announcement prompted several Democratic-led state attorneys general to challenge the decision in federal court. Among the projects affected is a wind development led by Invenergy, a company that holds lease rights in the California offshore project area. The filing cites the impact on Invenergy’s planned wind facilities as part of the broader concern over the administration’s policy shift.
If successful, the legal challenge could maintain the current trajectory of offshore wind development along the West Coast and preserve the contractual framework that supports renewable energy investments. The states contend that the buyback plan would undermine progress toward clean energy goals and give an advantage to fossil fuel interests. The case adds to ongoing legal disputes over federal energy policy decisions and their effect on state‑level renewable energy initiatives.