The Trump administration’s $1 billion payout to a French energy company to walk away from U.S. offshore wind development is a novel tactic against the industry that supporters see as creative, but opponents see as foolish and extreme.

The Department of Interior says a French energy company has agreed to give up two U.S. offshore wind leases and invest in fossil fuel projects instead.

Officials say that France’s TotalEnergies and U.S. hydrocarbon company APA Corp. plan to invest $10 billion to extract oil off the coast of Suriname in a historic investment for the South American country.

France’s TotalEnergies has reported third-quarter net income of $6.6 billion despite losses from pulling out of a venture in Russia.

France is forecasting growth to slow down substantially next year in the EU’s second-biggest economy.