New York Attorney General Letitia James isn't mincing words about the Trump administration's deal with French energy giant TotalEnergies SE TotalEnergies (TTE). On Tuesday, she announced that New York State is suing to block what she calls a "sham deal" that kills a local offshore wind project and funnels money into oil and gas.
In a post on X, James said the administration "struck a sham deal with TotalEnergies" that comes at the expense of a New York offshore wind project. The state is suing to stop what she described as an "illegal deal that harms our planet and destroys union jobs."
The TotalEnergies Deal
According to the AG's office, the deal involves the Trump administration giving nearly $1 billion to divest from offshore wind projects in favor of fossil fuels. As part of the arrangement, TotalEnergies reportedly "pledged not to develop any new offshore wind projects in the United States."
At the center of it all is Attentive Energy, a TotalEnergies subsidiary that paid $795 million to purchase an offshore wind lease about 47 miles off the coast of New York. The U.S. Department of Interior reached the deal with TotalEnergies back in March, with an official statement saying the company would invest in a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant in Texas and a project in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Department of Interior didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
James isn't going it alone. She's joined by the attorneys general of New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island in the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Gavin Newsom Slams Sable Offshore Corp Deal
This isn't the only energy-related lawsuit making headlines. California Governor Gavin Newsom has also been critical of the Trump administration's decision to restart the Sable Offshore Corp (SOC) pipeline off the Santa Barbara coast. That pipeline was at the center of controversy after a 2015 oil spill caused significant environmental damage.
The pipeline will reportedly supply oil to Chevron Corp (CVX), which Newsom has criticized as he urged California residents to avoid overpaying at the pump for name-brand gas.
