An offshore wind company announced Thursday that it has reached a $1.2 billion settlement with the Trump administration, effectively abandoning development projects off the coasts of New York, California and Louisiana. The latest agreement brings the total amount spent on similar settlements to nearly $4 billion.

RWE U.S. Offshore stated that despite years of planning, investment and partnership with federal agencies, it determined there was no viable path forward to permit the projects in the foreseeable future.

In exchange for the $1.22 billion, RWE is relinquishing wind power leases that could have provided approximately seven gigawatts of power, sufficient for more than 5 million homes. The company now holds no remaining U.S. offshore wind leases.

President Donald Trump has frequently voiced his opposition to wind power, stating his goal is to prevent any "windmills" from being built. The Republican administration has been actively buying back offshore wind leases from energy companies as it seeks to discourage the expansion of wind energy in favor of fossil fuels. This approach stands in contrast to offshore wind, which produces clean electricity, while oil, coal and natural gas emit carbon pollution when burned.

RWE announced it is investing $900 million in a liquefied natural gas project in Louisiana and spending $300 million on natural gas turbines. The company is developing 15 natural gas projects across the United States. RWE is headquartered in Germany.

The administration adopted this strategy after federal courts thwarted Trump’s efforts to stop offshore wind development through executive action. Roughly $3.9 billion has been spent. States that are losing offshore wind energy are suing. California intends to sue.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday that Americans “deserve an energy system built on common sense, not one dependent on costly subsidies or technologies that can’t meet our country’s current demand.” He said he welcomes RWE’s agreement and voluntary investment in projects that strengthen the nation’s energy security, provide dependable baseload power and help keep electricity affordable.

But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said the lease buybacks are effectively bribing companies to step away from clean energy that can displace more expensive fossil fuel plants, which in turn will raise costs for consumers.

“They are creating this enormous money pump, pulling billions of dollars out of consumers’ pockets,” he said. “That’s the real story of what is going on here. And that is both a cost story because of the billions in extra costs consumers pay, and it’s a corruption story because it’s Trump’s sneaky way of getting regular families to pay off his big fossil fuel donors. There’s method here, and it’s a real scam.”

Under the first agreement announced in March, French company TotalEnergies is getting nearly $1 billion — essentially a refund of its two offshore wind leases — if it invests the money in fossil fuels instead. Golden State Wind and Bluepoint Wind agreed in April to end their leases in exchange for reimbursements totaling nearly $900 million, provided it invests equally in fossil fuels. Chicago-based Invenergy agreed in June to end its four offshore wind leases that were very early in development in exchange for reimbursements of lease fees totaling $765 million.