The US Department of the Interior has initiated a full review of all offshore wind power regulations to ensure alignment with federal statutes and President Donald Trump's energy priorities.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum authorized the review Aug. 7 after outlining orders aimed at overhauling the agency's alleged "preferential" support for renewable energy resources.

In earlier announcements, Burgum has prioritized nuclear power, natural gas and coal on federal lands.

As part of this effort, the agency recently ended regulations requiring the development of a five-year offshore wind lease plan every two years and canceled all designated Wind Energy Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Burgum said the new regulatory review will be led by the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, or BSEE.

BOEM and BSEE will evaluate potential updates to three core regulations under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which give the agencies broad authority over renewable energy development. The review will also examine offshore wind decommissioning costs and financial assurance requirements.

Under current regulations, BOEM is responsible for monitoring the environmental impacts of offshore wind developments and evaluating potential alternative uses. The regulations also outline when BOEM may deviate from standard procedures, such as in cases that affect third-party rights, threaten the environment or to conserve natural resources.

The agency has not explained specifically how it would change the regulations.

Waivers to be considered

BOEM and BSEE will also review BSEE's enforcement authority over renewable energy projects, including scenarios where it may waive standard rules if they are deemed to have "become impractical or unduly burdensome and the departure is necessary to achieve the intended objectives of the renewable energy program."

The regulations clarify that provisions for alternative energy development cannot be used to support oil and gas production.

In one of his recent orders, Burgum said the agency has granted "preferential treatment" to solar and wind on federal lands and the Outer Continental Shelf, and that he would look to change that by implementing ways to support fossil and nuclear power generation.

On Aug. 1, Burgum issued an "energy density" order favoring projects that generate the most energy per unit of land, a metric that ranks nuclear power as the most desirable energy source and renewables among the least.

The regulatory review will also include the 2024 Renewable Energy Modernization Rule, which amended the implementing authority for offshore wind.

The agency said the effort would help streamline financial assurance requirements and decommissioning cost estimates for offshore wind projects, while ensuring that federal regulations do not "provide preferential treatment" to intermittent energy sources that depend on foreign supply chains.

The review is part of the Interior Department's implementation of Burgum's recent orders and follows Trump's Jan. 20 executive order suspending the offshore wind leasing program pending a full review of previously approved wind projects.

BOEM did not specify when the project review would conclude but said it could delay or cancel some projects.