---
title: "Interior Dept. decided on its $1B oil bribe to stop wind power before it had a reason"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/287234447.md"
description: "The Interior Department used $1 billion in taxpayer funds to persuade a foreign oil company, TotalEnergies, to halt offshore wind development in the US. Emails reveal the decision was made before a legal justification was created. TotalEnergies, while stopping US wind projects, continues to operate wind farms in France, raising questions about the rationale behind the deal."
datetime: "2026-05-21T14:00:00.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/287234447.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287234447.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/287234447.md)
---

# Interior Dept. decided on its $1B oil bribe to stop wind power before it had a reason

The Interior Department, which recently used $1 billion in taxpayer funds to bribe a foreign oil company into stopping development of cheap offshore wind in the US, had already decided on the deal before it had fabricated a legal justification for it, according to emails obtained by Congress.

TotalEnergies, formerly Total, is one of the largest oil companies in the world, considered one of the six “supermajors” of Big Oil. But it also operates and constructs wind farms in various parts of the world.

Two of those wind farms were going to be built in Carolina Long Bay and New York Bight, until the $1 billion payoff was announced in March.

In its press release after that payoff, TotalEnergies issued an Orwellian statement suggesting that wind power was not in the “national interest” of the US… despite it still operating wind farms in its native France, meaning this justification for the deal seemed puzzling. Why is it good for one country and supposedly not for another?

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