The construction of wind projects in the Gulf of Maine has the potential to create thousands of good-paying jobs and deliver millions of dollars in community benefits to local towns, struggling with their municipal budgets, according to the Maine Labor Climate Council. (Adobe Stock)
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Dec 22, 2025
By Kathryn Carley
Unionized laborers in Maine said they are ready to get to work after a federal judge ruled President Donald Trump’s executive order halting the permitting process for new offshore wind projects was unlawful.
A coalition of attorneys general challenged the order as workers, who invested in specialized training on wind turbines, soon found themselves out of good-paying jobs.
Chad Ward, member of Ironworkers Local 7 from Thorndike, said he has been commuting to Virginia as work dried up in Maine.
“We have the workforce ready and willing to go do this,” Ward pointed out. “It would mean the world to me to work in my home state.”
Ward added he is missing important family events and even Christmas to work elsewhere. Clean energy backers said they hope the ruling means stalled projects in Maine will now resume, including construction of a port on Sears Island. The Trump administration argued wind energy is unreliable and has steered federal investments toward domestic fossil fuels.
Maine aims to double its clean energy workforce to 30,000 over the next several years and procure 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind, while adhering to high labor and environmental standards. Unions said achieving the goals is not only important for Maine’s economy but to help lower skyrocketing energy prices.
Ward stressed he and his fellow workers want to give back to their state.
“I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself and I really feel like I’m doing that now,” Ward underscored. “If we could bring the cost of the energy down, that would be a really good impact on the people of Maine.”
As projects have sat idle, a study found offshore wind power would have generated massive savings during high-demand periods, helping lower New England electricity prices by 11%. Ward emphasized it would help people like his mother and other retirees, who live on fixed incomes and also support the environmental benefits clean energy brings.