Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is directing the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to halt construction activity on Equinor’s Empire Wind project off New York.
"Approval for the project was rushed through by the prior administration without sufficient analysis or consultation among the relevant agencies as relates to the potential effects from the project," Burgum wrote in a memorandum Wednesday, first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
Citing President Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order calling for a broad review of all offshore wind power projects in federal waters, Burgum wrote that the construction halt will remain pending review to “address these serious deficiencies.”
Planned as an array of 54 turbines between shipping approaches to New York Harbor, the 810-megawatt project recently started with subsea rock installation on the turbine sites, and pile-driving for foundation installation expected in May.
Project opponents have furiously lobbied the administration to take dramatic action against the project, one of five East Coast wind installations where developers with approvals under the Biden administration have pressed forward despite hostility from Trump.
In a March 26 letter to Burgum, Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ, protested that Equinor is proceeding with “defiant plans of wind turbine developer Equinor to begin construction on an offshore wind project off the coast of New Jersey and New York despite President Trump’s” Jan. 20 order demanding new project reviews.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said her state will fight against a shutdown.
“This fully federally permitted project has already put shovels in the ground before the President’s executive orders – it’s exactly the type of bipartisan energy solution we should be working on. As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future.”
“Yet, curiously, Burgum has not acted on an issue Trump has been very vocal about, the ending of new offshore wind projects. Maybe Burgum’s not a true Trump loyalist,” wrote H. Sterling Burnett, of The Heartland Institute, a conservative policy group, in The Western Journal April 13.
Trump’s Inauguration Day order on wind power noted that “nothing in this withdrawal affects rights under existing leases in the withdrawn areas.” But it also said “with respect to such existing leases, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Attorney General as needed, shall conduct a comprehensive review of the ecological, economic, and environmental necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases.”
Wind power advocates and opponents alike have been trying to parse the legal and regulatory implications of the order, and how far the Trump administration could go in squeezing wind developers’ lease and permit rights.
Late Wednesday afternoon the opponents were claiming victory.
"I have worked closely with these federal agencies to expose the problems with this project, and now they are taking action," said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-NJ. "This order is a direct result of the project being rushed through the approval process without proper analysis or coordination with the appropriate agencies, particularly regarding its potential impacts.”
“This order is a significant step in not only stopping this project but also others just like it that were recklessly approved by the previous administration."
Empire Wind is one of the earlier East Coast offshore wind plans, with an 80,000-acre lease sold by BOEM for $135 million in 2016. It’s also been a longtime target of commercial fishermen in New York and New Jersey, who warned the project could prevent trawl and scallop fisheries near the apex of the New York Bight.
Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association welcomed the stop-work order.
“Our government should never sell out American fishermen to foreign green energy companies. NEFSA applauds Secretary Burgum for pressing pause on the Empire Wind project, which regulators rushed to approve over the objections of working commercial fishermen and their families," said Leeman. "We hope and expect the new administration will end the era of special treatment for foreign developers industrializing America’s fisheries.”
Renewable power advocates warned the Trump administration will chill energy investment with sudden U-turns.
"Preventing a permitted and financed energy project from moving forward sends a loud and clear message to all businesses - beyond those in the offshore wind industry - that their investment in the U.S. is not safe," said Liz Burdock, CEO of the Oceantic Network industry group.
"We urge the Department of Interior to lift this order immediately to restore a predictable and equitable environment for the buildout of critical energy resources that help secure our energy future and independence," said Burdock.
“Halting construction of fully permitted energy projects is the literal opposite of an energy abundance agenda,” said Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association. “With skyrocketing energy demand and increasing consumer prices, we need streamlined permitting for all domestic energy resources. Doubling back to reconsider permits after projects are under construction sends a chilling signal to all energy investment.”
“These political reversals are bad policy, whether applied to pipelines or wind farms. We encourage the administration to quickly address perceived inadequacies in the prior permit approvals so that this project can complete construction and bring much needed power to the grid,” said Grumet. “At the end of the day, reliable energy systems depend on reliable political systems.”
