We should all breathe a sigh of relief that the Trump administration recently reversed its decision to halt an offshore wind project 15 miles south of Long Beach.
The $7 billion Empire Wind project, being built by a Norwegian energy company in two phases, is expected to generate enough clean power to serve about 1 million homes in New York when completed and create more than 1,000 union construction jobs through the redevelopment of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a major offshore wind staging and assembly hub.
Work had been paused on the project’s first phase in April when Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to halt construction of the project’s 54 wind turbines and review the permits.
Burgum said at the time it appeared former President Joe Biden’s administration had “rushed through” the approvals.
This seemed suspect since it had taken the Norwegian energy company Equinor seven years to obtain state and federal permits and the company had spent more than $2.5 billion so far on a project that is one-third complete.
Since returning to the White House, President Trump has prioritized fossil fuels and moved against renewable energy. One of his first acts was ordering a pause of offshore wind lease sales in federal waters and the issuance of approvals, permits, and loans for all wind projects.
Trump had criticized wind projects for various reasons, including aesthetic concerns and alleged impacts on property values and wildlife.
But the administration’s targeting of Empire Wind, a project already underway, took that a step further.
Equinor, which was spending up to $50 million per week and had 11 vessels on standby, was within hours of abandoning Empire Wind when a group led by Gov Kathy Hochul and including members of Congress, the president of Equinor, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, National Grid, and union officials prevailed.
Burgum said he was persuaded based on Hochul’s willingness to move forward on critical pipeline capacity for natural gas, a claim Hochul confirmed.
She said she told Trump she is willing to approve pipelines sought by his administration if all state and federal requirements are met. But she said Trump was persuaded to change his mind to save union jobs, mostly in Brooklyn.
In either case, this was a deal by Hochul well worth making.
New York requires more energy production to ensure reliable delivery to homes, businesses, and industry whenever it is needed, keep prices affordable and reduce pollution.
Between rising manufacturing, advances in AI and cloud computing, and the explosive growth of data centers, energy needs are growing rapidly. This makes clean energy production, whether wind or natural gas, that much more essential.
Environmentalists hailed the move to restart work on Empire Wind.
Kit Kennedy, managing director for power at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, said in a statement: “All New Yorkers who want to breathe clean air should celebrate this fresh start for the Empire Wind project. The project will help to make our electricity bills more affordable and keep New York’s electric grid stronger.”
But the project is not without its critics
We think the opposition is short-sighted and believe the benefits of the project vastly outweigh any downsides.
Clean, reliable and affordable energy is needed now and in New York’s future.
The agreement reached between the Trump administration and the project’s supporters is a major step in the right direction.
