Few people realize that BOEM has released Ørsted, a multi-billion dollar foreign company, from any financial obligation to put aside funds for decommissioning within the first fifteen years of operation. What happens if they fail, become obsolete, or are determined to be harmful before that? Who will pay?

Decommissioning can cost 70% of the construction costs, according to this analysis from Europe. After fifteen years of operation, BOEM will only require Revolution Wind to put aside $325 million, when the likely cost of decommissioning could exceed $7 billion. Who will pay the difference?