California sends notice of intent to challenge Trump administration’s offshore wind buyout

(SACRAMENTO – June 23, 2026) Today, California sent a Notice of Intent to sue to the U.S. Department of the Interior regarding its illegal $120 million buyout of the Golden State Wind lease off the Central California coast. The Notice of Intent to sue provides a 60-day window for Interior and Golden State Wind to cancel the buyout before California files suit. 

The Golden State Wind project was expected to generate enough electricity to power about 1.1 million homes. It also would have delivered $24 million for workforce training and domestic supply chain development — investments California has already committed to — as part of an offshore wind industry projected to create roughly 8,000 high-quality jobs across the state. Last week, the Trump administration struck a separate deal to buy out another California offshore wind lease using taxpayer dollars.

“These illegal attempts to cancel offshore wind in California take homegrown clean energy off the table at the very moment our need for more cost-stable power is surging,” Michael Colvin, California Energy Program Director at Environmental Defense Fund “Investments in offshore wind strengthen our grid, reduce our dependence on volatile and polluting fossil fuels, and create good-paying jobs for Californians. Today's action from Attorney General Bonta sends a clear signal — California will not be bullied into abandoning clean, reliable power.”

California is the only West Coast state with offshore wind leases, positioning it to play a leading role in supplying clean power across the region. As a newly launched Western electricity market grows, offshore wind generation could help provide more clean, affordable and reliable power to communities throughout the West.

“California’s offshore wind isn’t just a California resource,” said Colvin. “With a new regional market making it easier to share power across state lines, blocking these projects would mean less clean energy, more pollution and higher electricity costs for communities throughout the West.”