WASHINGTON, D.C., September 30, 2026 — A new report and live tracker from Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) details how companies were offered a combined $3.9 billion to walk away from offshore wind projects expected to add 19.2 gigawatts of nameplate capacity, enough to power approximately 6.6 million American households.

“Federal waters hold abundant opportunities for domestic energy development, including offshore wind,” said Autumn Hanna, Vice President of Taxpayers for Common Sense. “We all benefit from a robust, diverse energy market. Strongarming companies to abandon projects already in development, all at taxpayers’ expense, moves us in the wrong direction.”

Companies paid billions to secure federal offshore wind leases at competitive auctions. After court rulings blocked some of the Administration’s efforts to halt wind leasing and permitting, the Administration pivoted to a new strategy —buying out companies’ offshore wind leases. The new report, Offshore Wind Lease Buyouts: Picking Winners and Losers Costs Taxpayers Billions, explores how much taxpayers would pay for these buyouts and what they would get in return.

While the agreements tie reimbursement to equivalent investment in conventional energy projects, including oil, gas, and liquefied natural gas, the report uncovers how some agreements allow companies to qualify for reimbursement by counting investments they had already made. That means taxpayers could pay billions without prompting an equivalent amount of new investment.

The report also examines how the agreements steer investment toward administration-selected energy sectors and rely on the Treasury’s Judgment Fund to finance the payments, far from the fund’s original purpose.

“What justifies returning revenue already collected to shut down energy development already underway and direct private investment elsewhere?” asked Hanna. “Why is the Administration picking winners and losers instead of letting the energy market decide? At a time when adding energy supply is a national priority, what are taxpayers getting for their money?”

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Taxpayers for Common Sense is a nonpartisan budget watchdog serving as an independent voice for American taxpayers. TCS works to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly and that government decisions are transparent, accountable, and grounded in the public interest.