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Fact Brief

Did Interior Secretary Doug Burgum support a $1.2 billion deal for RWE to give up its U.S. offshore wind leases?

Did Interior Secretary Doug Burgum support a $1.2 billion deal for RWE to give up its U.S. offshore wind leases?
Photo by Nicholas Doherty on Unsplash.

Yes.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum publicly supported the agreement between the Interior Department and RWE U.S. Offshore.

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RWE announced Aug. 6 that Interior agreed to provide $1.22 billion in settlement funds to resolve the company’s claims against the federal government. In return, RWE will relinquish offshore wind leases in the New York Bight and off California and Louisiana.

Burgum welcomed the agreement in a statement posted to his official X account, saying Americans deserve an energy system based on “common sense” rather than costly subsidies or technologies he said cannot meet current demand. He also welcomed RWE’s plans to invest in projects aimed at energy security and reliability.

RWE said it had invested more than $1 billion in the leases and project development but concluded there was no foreseeable path to obtaining permits for the projects.

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