The development of the US offshore wind sector faced a significant setback yesterday when the Trump administration ordered a halt to a major wind project situated off New York’s coast.
Doug Burgum, Secretary of the US Department of the Interior, made the announcement via social media, revealing that the Empire Wind Project’s construction would be paused for a “further review of information suggesting the Biden administration expedited its approval process without adequate analysis.”
Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump has characterized offshore wind energy as an environmental threat, inaccurately associating it with whale mortality while simultaneously advocating for increased oil and gas drilling. His administration now aims to obstruct the establishment of offshore wind projects, including those already granted federal approvals.
Donald Trump has painted offshore wind as an environmental bogeyman
On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order that halted leasing and permitting processes for new offshore wind initiatives. However, the Empire Wind project has held a federal lease since 2017 and possesses both state and federal permits.
Equinor, the Norwegian company spearheading the project, issued a statement confirming that construction had been paused in response to a notice from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The company indicated that it would engage with the appropriate authorities to resolve the issue and is considering possible legal actions, including an appeal.
Construction on the Empire Wind project, which Equinor estimates to have a gross book value of approximately $2.5 billion, commenced this month with an anticipated completion date of 2027. Once operational, it aims to generate enough clean electricity to power 500,000 homes in New York. The project has also provided jobs for about 1,500 construction workers and includes an onshore staging hub at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, which is expected to create around 1,000 union construction positions.
Liz Burdock, president and CEO of the offshore energy trade group Oceantic Network, commented that halting a fully permitted project like Empire Wind sends a concerning message across various industries investing in US government contracts. She emphasized that this action jeopardizes the trust of businesses in the safety of their investments in the country.
Despite possessing vast potential to exploit offshore wind resources, the US trails behind Europe and China in the deployment of such technology. Offshore wind energy is projected to meet up to a quarter of the nation’s power needs by 2050 and synergizes well with the increasing energy demands of data centers across the US.
Nevertheless, the offshore wind sector has wrestled with escalating costs, complicated supply chains, and significant opposition from the commercial fishing industry as well as residents concerned about the impact of turbines on ocean vistas. A recent turbine malfunction off the coast of Massachusetts has heightened fears regarding the environmental ramifications of wind farms, though evidence suggests that vessel strikes and fishing gear are the primary causes of whale deaths.
“Stopping work on the fully federally permitted Empire Wind 1 offshore project should send chills across all industries investing in and holding contracts with the United States Government.”
Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, has voiced strong opposition to the development, calling it the “industrialization of our ocean” and criticizing the federal agencies that have supported the initiative for prioritizing corporate interests under the agenda of climate action.
President Joe Biden set ambitious targets to expand US offshore wind capacity from 42 to 30,000 megawatts by 2030. Given that offshore winds typically produce stronger energy outputs compared to onshore, these turbines are regarded as a plentiful renewable energy source vital for reducing pollution and addressing climate change. In light of the recent developments, New York Governor Kathy Hochul pledged to challenge the Trump administration’s efforts to impede the Empire Wind project “every step of the way.”
Xavier Boatright, deputy legislative director for clean energy and electrification at the Sierra Club, criticized Trump for not supporting renewable energy efforts that could stabilize employment and benefit families by decreasing electricity costs. Instead, he accused Trump of catering to fossil fuel interests at the expense of the American public.
In the 2024 elections, oil and gas interests reportedly allocated over $75 million in campaign contributions to support Trump’s political aspirations. Trump previously declared that during his term, “no new windmills” would be constructed, describing existing ones as unsightly and likening them to “garbage in a field.”
