NC Democrats Accuse Trump Administration of Bribery in Offshore Wind Deal
Democratic lawmakers accuse Trump administration of paying French company TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion to abandon offshore wind project off North Carolina coast.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross and three Democratic colleagues accused the Trump administration of bribery Thursday, alleging the White House paid companies billions in taxpayer dollars to abandon offshore wind projects, including one off North Carolina’s coast.
The administration agreed to pay French company TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion after it relinquished its leases for two offshore wind projects, including Carolina Long Bay, located approximately 22 miles south of Bald Head Island, according to a letter released by the lawmakers.
Ross, who represents North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District since 2021, joined U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal, Jimmy Panetta and Bobby Scott in sending the letter to President Donald Trump, Attorney General Todd Blanche and the inspector general of the Department of the Interior.
Buyouts Target Other Projects
The TotalEnergies payout is part of a broader pattern, according to the Democrats. The administration also offered Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind nearly $900 million in lease reimbursements for fossil fuel investments.
The lawmakers characterized the payments as efforts to bribe companies to exit the offshore wind energy market entirely.
Economic and Political Implications
The letter criticized the administration’s approach amid broader economic concerns. “The decision to pay off energy companies with taxpayer dollars to cancel projects that would have created high-paying jobs, strengthened American energy independence, and lowered costs for families is especially alarming at a time when your administration’s war with Iran is destabilizing energy markets and fueling rampant inflation,” the letter reads.
The lawmakers accused the administration of favoritism toward fossil fuel companies over renewable energy developers. The cancelled Carolina Long Bay project would have generated clean energy for North Carolina residents while creating local employment opportunities.
Congressional Oversight Demanded
The letter demands answers about the legal authority and justification for the massive payments to energy companies. Ross and her colleagues are seeking transparency about how the administration determined the payout amounts and whether proper oversight procedures were followed.
The controversy highlights ongoing tensions between the Trump administration’s energy policies and Democratic lawmakers who support renewable energy development. North Carolina’s offshore wind potential has been a subject of political debate since the projects were first proposed.
The lawmakers’ letter represents the latest congressional challenge to the administration’s approach to energy policy, particularly regarding the use of federal funds to influence private sector decisions about renewable energy investments.
