Newest federal decision chilling for wind industry

The federal government has ordered a fully-permitted offshore wind farm already under construction off of Long Island to halt operations in a move that could set a new precedent for projects not far from the Island’s coast, creating further uncertainty for the nascent industry. 

On Wednesday, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted on X plans to order the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to immediately halt all construction activities on the Empire Wind Project until further review, suggesting that the the Biden administration rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January soon into his new term, that puts the damper on projects still undergoing federal permitting, but some experts believed that Trump wouldn’t touch projects already under construction. The rare move raises questions of whether other fully-permitted projects, like Vineyard Wind, are now also at risk. 

Some local opponents are celebrating the decision.

“We are asking the opponents of environmentally destroying offshore wind turbines to call the White House, the EPA and Department of Interior to urge them to halt the construction of Revolution Wind, Vineyard Wind and Sunrise Wind until their  permits can be reviewed,” said Tisbury resident John Zarba, a co-founder of PreserveMV, a Vineyard affiliate of Rhode Island-based anti-offshore wind organization Green Oceans. “There is no doubt in our minds that the government rushed those permits through and didn’t look at all of the relevant considerations when they signed off.”

Empire Wind was expected to power 500,000 homes in New York by 2027. Owned by Equinor, a Norwegian multinational energy company, construction began last year, which also included the ongoing revitalization of South Brooklyn Marine Terminal where the project’s operations and maintenance headquarters would be located. While turbines had not been placed in the water, Equinor senior communications manager David Schoetz said contractors had begun laying down rocks last week, which are meant to protect turbine foundations from erosion.

The company is exploring legal options to appeal the Trump administration’s order, according to an Equinor press release. 

“We will engage directly with BOEM and the Department of Interior to understand the questions raised about the permits we have received from authorities,” a statement issued by Equinor last week reads. “We will not comment about the potential consequences until we know more.”

New York officials are also pushing back. Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement that she won’t “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,” the statement read. 

Proponents of offshore wind are sounding alarms over the Interior Department’s Empire Wind decision. 

“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,” CEO and president of the Oceantic Network Liz Burdock said in a statement. The nonprofit works to grow the offshore wind industry. “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. 

“We urge the Department of [the] 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,” the statement read.

Still, projects with turbine foundations already in the water may be safer than others, according to some wind advocates. 

“Local projects like Vineyard Wind and Revolution Wind are at substantially different stages than Empire Wind, making a stop-work order for these developments harder to imagine,” said Kate Sinding Daly, senior vice president for law and policy at Boston-based Conservation Law Foundation. “While the actions of this administration have raised concerns and caused chaos, the distinct progress of these local developments adds complexity to any attempt to halt them.”

Among the various projects in different stages of permitting south of Martha’s Vineyard, Vineyard Wind is the farthest along in construction. According to a map shown in a weekly report email from the company on Wednesday, the project has completed 23 turbines in its lease area. Revolution Wind is located 12 miles off the coast of Aquinnah. 

Representatives of Vineyard Wind and Avangrid, a Vineyard Wind parent company, did not respond to a request for comment. 

Ørsted also owns fully permitted projects, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind, off the Vineyard’s coast. Revolution Wind finished its first turbine in September and Sunrise Wind was cleared to start construction in June. 

Meaghan Wims, Ørsted spokesperson, declined to comment. 

Locally, opponents have argued that these projects had been rushed through without properly vetting the potential environmental ramifications and they are feeling encouraged by the administration’s decision against Empire Wind.”

Zarba viewed Burgum’s announcement as “positive steps” and said they were “excited for what it may mean for the wind farms off our shores.”

“Green Oceans is looking at the full array of legal options in the wake of our preliminary victory in our litigation against the federal government and Revolution Wind,” Zarba said. 

Green Oceans’ lawsuit against Revolution Wind, another fully-permitted offshore wind project, alleging it was approved by the federal government without properly vetting the potential environmental impact was allowed to move forward by a federal judge earlier this month. Also this month, the organization petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the approval of Vineyard Wind. 

President Donald Trump has expressed his desire to reverse course on renewable energy in favor of fossil fuels. He issued a January executive order that halted the approval of permits at new lease areas for offshore wind. The strike against Empire Wind is the most aggressive move his administration has taken since the Environmental Protection Agency’s revocation of Atlantic Shores South’s air pollution permit in New Jersey last month.