April 17 (UPI) — The offshore and wind energy project Empire WInd 1 approved by the Biden administration is being stopped by the Interior Department because President Donald Trump doesn’t want it.
The stoppage immediately came under criticism by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who pledged to fight the decision.
Trump wants an energy policy of oil drilling both offshore and on federal lands and wants no windmills built.
Interior Sec. Doug Burgham said in a post on X he is ordering the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to “immediately halt all construction activities” on the Empire Wind 1 project off the Long Island. The project has created as many as 1,000 jobs.
Burgham said in the post the project is being stopped “until further review of information that suggests the Biden administration rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis.”
Trump opposes offshore wind power and instead is attempting to double down on offshore fossil fuel production, including oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hochul said in a statement that the federal government should be supporting making energy more affordable rather than undermining those efforts.
“Empire Wind 1 is already employing hundreds of New Yorkers, including 1,000 good-paying union jobs as part of a growing sector that has already spurred significant economic development and private investment throughout the state and beyond,” Hochul’s statement said.
Hochul said it is a fully funded federal project and “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.
Oceantic Network CEO Liz Burdock said in a statement, “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.”
She urged the Interior Department to lift the pause order on the project immediately “to restore a predictable and equitable environment for the buildout of critical energy resources that help secure our energy future and independence.”
Equinor, parent company of Empire Offshore Wind LLC, said that in compliance with the Interior Department order, it will suspend the offshore construction.
But the company added in a statement that it is “engaging with relevant authorities to clarify the matter and is considering legal remedies, including appealing the order.”
