Former oil lobbyist halts wind farm construction as thousands of jobs hang in balance
Trump official with fossil fuel ties stops nearly finished project, threatening 2,500 American jobs over unspecified security concerns
A former oil industry lobbyist now holds the power to destroy thousands of American jobs with the stroke of a pen—and he's using it.
Matthew Giacona spent years advocating for offshore oil companies at the National Ocean Industries Association. Today, as the Trump administration's acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, he has ordered the immediate shutdown of Revolution Wind, an 80% complete wind farm that employs 2,500 workers and was weeks from powering 350,000 homes.
His justification? Vague "national security concerns" that no one can explain.
The decision has sent shockwaves through Rhode Island and Connecticut, where union workers who voted for Trump now watch their livelihoods disappear. Meanwhile, residents already paying America's third and fifth highest electricity rates face the prospect of even costlier power bills.
But the most disturbing revelation isn't the economic carnage—it's the pattern emerging of how a captured regulatory system serves private interests whilst masquerading as national security.
Jobs vanish as profits protect themselves
Michael Sabitoni watched his phone ring all weekend. As president of the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council, he fielded calls from bewildered union members who couldn't understand why their nearly finished project had been killed.
"A lot of our members voted for this administration, and this isn't what they voted for," Sabitoni said. "They didn't vote for them to put them on the unemployment line."
Revolution Wind represents more than renewable energy—it's the anchor of New England's emerging offshore wind industry. The project supports 1,200 direct construction jobs and hundreds more in shipbuilding, manufacturing, and operations. Entire supply chains from Texas to Maine depend on contracts that could evaporate overnight.
The human cost extends beyond paychecks. Workers have relocated families, bought homes, and built careers around America's offshore wind boom. Danish developer Ørsted has invested billions in port facilities, training programmes, and local partnerships that took years to establish.
Now it's all at risk because of a decision made by someone whose career was built serving the competition.
The financial devastation could dwarf even Giacona's wildest lobbying successes. When Trump officials briefly halted Equinor's Empire Wind project earlier this year, the one-month delay cost nearly $1 billion in contract penalties, idle vessels, and construction disruptions. Revolution Wind, at 80% completion, faces potentially catastrophic losses that could bankrupt the project entirely.
Meanwhile, electricity ratepayers in Connecticut and Rhode Island—already among America's highest—will lose access to power priced at 9.8 cents per kilowatt-hour, locked in for 20 years and cheaper than regional averages.
Security theatre without the security
The national security justification disintegrates under the slightest examination.
Bill White spent six years on the federal task force that designated Revolution Wind's location. From 2009 to 2015, he sat through countless meetings where military officials, federal agencies, and state representatives hammered out every detail of offshore wind development in New England waters.
"There were no major military issues that came to the fore in New England," White said bluntly. "Was the military at the table, represented and consulted with during this stakeholder process? The answer is: very much so."
Revolution Wind endured three years of Pentagon scrutiny. The Federal Aviation Administration conducted detailed radar analysis. The Army Corps of Engineers co-signed construction permits. The National Marine Fisheries Service provided environmental clearances. Every turbine location was plotted to avoid conflicts with military operations, shipping lanes, and aircraft navigation.
The exhaustive review stands in stark contrast to regions where the Pentagon has raised legitimate concerns. Near military installations in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, defence officials have flagged genuine conflicts with radar systems and training operations. Revolution Wind sits 15 miles from Rhode Island's coast, nowhere near major military facilities.
Giacona's order cited the need to address security concerns "that have arisen" since Trump's January executive order—but provided no details about what those concerns might be. BOEM officials have refused all requests for clarification, leaving workers, investors, and state officials to guess what threats a nearly completed wind farm might pose to American security.
The silence speaks volumes. Real security concerns come with specific explanations, detailed analysis, and proposed solutions. Fabricated concerns hide behind vague assertions and classified reviews that never materialise.
The fox guarding the henhouse
Matthew Giacona's appointment to lead offshore energy regulation represents regulatory capture in its purest form.
He joined BOEM directly from his lobbying post at the National Ocean Industries Association, where he advocated for the very oil and gas companies his agency now oversees. Records obtained through public records requests show him continuing to work on matters that directly benefit his former clients.
Since March, Giacona has shepherded through expanded Gulf of Mexico oil leasing whilst simultaneously targeting renewable energy projects. His agency recently proposed the lowest deepwater royalty rates for oil companies since 2007—a windfall worth billions for the industry that funded his previous career.
The same week he killed Revolution Wind, Giacona celebrated new offshore oil lease sales with familiar enthusiasm. "This proposed lease sale demonstrates BOEM's commitment to advancing American energy dominance," he declared, using language that could have come straight from an industry press release.
His calendar reveals the extent of the conflicts. Meetings with Chevron on offshore leasing. Discussions with Transocean about drilling permits. Strategy sessions on biological opinions that regulate his former lobbying targets. The revolving door hasn't just revolved—it's spinning at maximum speed.
Public Citizen's Tyson Slocum captured the absurdity, "Appointing a Big Oil lobbyist to oversee deep water oil drilling shows that the administration's goal is to empower and enrich powerful corporations at the expense of everyone and everything else."
Political extortion disguised as policy
Revolution Wind's halt follows a precise script written during the Empire Wind controversy.
In April, Trump officials ordered Equinor to stop construction on its New York offshore project, citing inadequate review. The Norwegian company threatened to abandon the $5 billion investment after delays cost $50 million per week in idle vessels and contract penalties.
But the security concerns vanished as quickly as they appeared. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum lifted the order after exactly one month, publicly thanking New York Governor Kathy Hochul for her "willingness to move forward on critical pipeline capacity" for natural gas.
The quid pro quo was explicit, renewable energy hostages in exchange for fossil fuel concessions.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has already signalled his willingness to negotiate. "We're in the eighth inning of this baseball game," he said Monday, suggesting "there's a deal to be made" with federal officials.
The pattern reveals the true purpose behind these manufactured crises. Fully permitted projects worth billions become political leverage to extract support for pipelines, drilling permits, and regulatory rollbacks that states would otherwise oppose.
It's extortion dressed up as energy policy—and it's working.
When capture becomes corruption
The Revolution Wind scandal exposes how thoroughly fossil fuel interests have infiltrated the agencies meant to regulate them.
Giacona's BOEM doesn't just favour oil and gas over renewables—it actively sabotages competition through administrative warfare. Projects that threaten fossil fuel profits face mysterious security reviews. Projects that serve fossil fuel interests receive expedited approvals and reduced royalty rates.
The consequences extend far beyond one wind farm. International investors are watching American regulators destroy billions in permitted infrastructure over political grievances. The message is unmistakable, the United States lacks the regulatory stability necessary for long-term energy investments.
European companies have pumped $100 billion into American offshore wind development, creating supply chains and expertise that take decades to build. Arbitrary project cancellations signal that America's regulatory system serves private vendettas rather than national interests.
Meanwhile, China races ahead in offshore wind deployment whilst America's industry stagnates under political sabotage. The country that invented offshore wind technology now watches competitors capture markets that American workers and companies pioneered.
The real security threat
The thousands of jobs hanging in the balance at Revolution Wind represent more than economic statistics—they're American families whose livelihoods have become pawns in a corrupt game.
These workers embody precisely the skilled manufacturing employment Trump promised to restore. Offshore wind offers high-wage union jobs in shipbuilding, fabrication, and marine operations that can't be outsourced to cheaper markets.
Yet an administration elected on promises of job creation systematically destroys opportunities to serve the narrow interests of fossil fuel executives who funded campaigns and hired former officials.
The real national security threat isn't wind turbines—it's a regulatory system so thoroughly captured by private interests that it sacrifices American competitiveness for corporate profits.
Matthew Giacona may have the power to halt wind farms, but he cannot halt the truth, regulatory capture has replaced democratic governance at the highest levels of American energy policy. Until that changes, no investment, no job, and no community remains secure from the whims of officials serving masters other than the public interest.