Governor Hochul has vowed to “fight” President Trump’s decision to halt construction of the controversial Empire Wind 1 offshore windmill project, a Biden-approved initiative that would have erected 54 wind turbines miles south of Long Island. Mr. Trump has long denounced windmills and said he wants a “no windmills” policy.

In a statement, Ms. Hochul said that, “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.”  

Situated just over 15 nautical miles off Long Island, the Empire Wind 1 project promised to deliver 810 megawatts of  electricity to New York City, enough to power 500,000 homes upon its scheduled completion in 2027.

On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, “in consultation” with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, ordered the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to halt all construction activities on the multi-billion-dollar offshore project pending further review “of information that suggests the Biden administration rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis.”

Mr. Burgum also instructed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to continue its review of federal wind permitting practices for both existing and pending permits.

Ms. Hochul blasted Mr. Burgum’s decision as “federal overreach.”

“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,” Ms. Hochul said in her statement.

Equinor, the Norwegian developer currently building the wind farm, had already started subsea rock installation “to create a stable base for foundation and to protect against erosion.” 

In March, Representative Chris Smith, a Republican of New Jersey, alerted Mr. Burgum of Equinor’s plans to begin construction of Empire Wind 1.

“Without specific details on mitigation methods the public cannot be assured that this project will not blind critical FAA and national security radar,” Mr. Smith warned in a March 26 letter.

On Thursday, Equinor announced it would halt all offshore construction in the waters of the outer continental shelf until the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has finished its reviews. Equinor had already scrapped plans for the Empire Wind 2 project, citing inflation and supply chain disruptions.

Mr. Smith hailed Mr. Burgum’s decision as “a great victory for all of us who have been fighting to protect the Jersey Shore from offshore wind industrialization.” 

Mr. Trump has never been shy about his intense disdain for wind farms. Immediately after taking office, he signed an executive order halting all approvals for new wind farms on federal lands and waters. 

“Big, ugly windmills, they ruin your neighborhood,” Mr. Trump during a January rally. “If you have a house that’s near a windmill, guess what? Your house is worth less than half.”

Mr. Trump has argued that wind farms do more harm than good by raising energy costs and harming marine life, especially whales.

“So, if you’re into whales, you don’t want windmills either,” he said.

Whether windmills actually harm whales or interfere with vital radar systems is the subject of ongoing controversy, as is their cost-effectiveness and net benefit to the environment. The technology’s advocates and detractors are dug in.
Last summer, the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm came under fire after a turbine blade snapped, sending pieces falling into the ocean. GE Vernova, the maker of the turbines, blamed the collapse on “manufacturing deviation.” In March, that same turbine was struck by lightning, causing further damage to the unrepaired blade.