The Trump administration on Monday paused five large-scale offshore wind projects that were under construction, which included halting the Empire Wind 1 project that operates an energy hub in Sunset Park.
The Department of the Interior said it is pausing, effective immediately, the leases for all large-scale offshore wind projects under construction in the United States due to national security risks identified by the Department of War in recently completed classified reports.
The pause will give the Departments and other relevant government agencies time to work with leaseholders and state partners to assess the possibility of mitigating the national security risks posed by these projects, officials said.
“Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers," Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a statement.
The four other wind farm projects include Vineyard Wind 1 in Massachusetts, Revolution Wind in Rhode Island, CVOW – Commercial in Virginia and Sunrise Wind in Long Island.
In April, Burgum directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to halt construction on Empire Wind 1, a wind farm project off the coast of Long Island that would have provided energy to 500,000 New York homes. New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 17 other attorneys general in May to file a lawsuit to end the Trump administration’s halt on new wind energy development across the country.
The South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, a 73-acre offshore wind hub in Sunset Park, is the pre-assembly site for turbine components and would also house a substation to connect 810 MW of wind power directly into the New York City grid. The construction of the Sunset Park hub and offshore lease area had put about 4,000 people to work, according to Equinor, the Norwegian energy company that is building Empire Wind 1.
In one reckless move, President Donald Trump put thousands of good-paying jobs and New York’s energy future at risk, Governor Kathy Hochul wrote in an op-ed.
"Imagine working hard all year, only to find out that your job is suddenly gone," the governor wrote. "People who did everything right, worked hard, and showed up every day, are now being told their livelihoods do not matter. Not because these projects failed. Not because the permits were flawed. But because the President decided to pull the plug."
The Empire 1 project is more than 60% complete, with trenching, cable-laying and cable pulling ongoing on the U.S. outer continental shelf, Equinor said in a statement. The stop work order threatens the progress of these activities and without a swift solution, there may be significant impact to the project, the company said.
"Empire Wind is complying with relevant national security related requirements, identified as part of the regulatory process conducted over several years," the statement said.
State Senator Andrew Gounardes said the project was "thoroughly vetted and reviewed by multiple levels of government."
"To now claim a security threat, or whatever other excuse Trump is making up today, rings hollow," he said. "What this project does do is support thousands of good-paying jobs, ensure New Yorkers have reliable access to electricity, generate billions in investment in our neighborhoods, and strengthen our country's energy independence."
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