US 'overpaid' for cancelled wind leases, researcher finds

The Trump administration has negotiated its fifth offshore wind lease cancellation, this time with RWE, a German power company. Under the agreement, US taxpayers will ultimately pay nearly four billion dollars in reimbursements across all five deals, while the companies redirect that investment toward domestic fossil fuel projects. A University of California researcher, per Semafor, has argued the government drastically overpaid: the projects were never under construction and lacked solid economic prospects, suggesting the leases would likely attract much lower bids if auctioned today. Climate advocates have protested the loss of renewable capacity, and Congressional Democrats have promised to investigate.

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