Wind-payout drama: Trump-era deal with TotalEnergies draws legal fire
The Interior Department plans to reimburse TotalEnergies about $1 billion in 2022 offshore-wind lease fees in exchange for abandoning U.S. offshore wind projects and investing in fossil-fuel infrastructure, a move that raises questions about the department’s authority to issue refunds and could face legal challenges from states and affected communities; the funds would likely come from the Judgment Fund since there’s no clear statutory process for such reimbursements.