By GREGORY ZELLER //
It’s safe to go back in the water.
Marking a widely cheered – and sadly predictable – reversal, the Trump Administration has lifted a stop-work order issued against Empire Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Norwegian energy firm Equinor, allowing construction to resume on the Empire Wind 1 wind farm rising 15 miles south of Jones Beach Island.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum – the billionaire former North Dakota governor who insists his staff receive fresh-baked cookies every morning – issued the stop-work order April 16, suggesting in a social media post that President Joe Biden’s administration had “rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis” of the 810-megawatt wind farm, the first phase of a two-part development that ultimately promises 130-plus wind turbines and 2.1 gigawatts of wind-generated electricity, enough to power more than 1 million New York homes.
In actuality, that alleged rush job included two separate selections in comprehensive offshore-wind solicitation processes hosted by the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (in 2019 and 2024), plus federal Record of Decision approval in 2023 and Construction and Operations Plan approval in 2024, both from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
Doug Burgum: Just following orders.
Empire Wind 1 has also earned a Clean Air Act permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Marine Mammal Protection Act approvals from the National Marine Fisheries Service, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Despite those copious reviews, permits and permissions, Burgum in April directed workers to “immediately halt all construction activities … until further review of information.”
Governor Kathy Hochul and a battalion of regional environmentalists promised a fight to the finish with the Trump Administration over the shutdown, which represented a major blow not only to Equinor’s bifurcated Empire Wind project but to Long Island socioeconomics, which have rallied in recent years around alternative-energy causes.
The governor said in April that she would battle the President “every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future,” and that she “will not allow this federal overreach to stand.”
On Monday, Hochul cited “countless conversations with Equinor and White House officials” in the one month since the shutdown, as well as concentrated efforts to “bring labor and business to the table to emphasize the importance of this project.”
Equinor referenced only “dialogue with regulators and federal, state and city officials” leading to the stop-work reversal, while Burgum issued no specific statement regarding Empire Wind 1.
In another X post on Monday, however, the interior secretary did commend Hochul for “her willingness to move forward on critical pipeline capacity” – a reference to oil and natural gas transmissions and a not-so-subtle reveal of the real reason for the April shutdown: leverage for the corporate interests supporting the President’s fossil-fuel-friendly domestic energy policy.
Plenty of fight: Governor Kathy Hochul noted “countless” conversations with the White House in her battle to reinstate the Empire Wind 1 project.
While praising the reinstatement of the Empire Wind 1 project, Hochul did concede that she has “reaffirmed that New York will work with the (Trump) Administration and private entities on new energy projects that meet the legal requirements under New York law.”
Despite the lack of an official Interior Department statement – or any word from federal officials about new and “sufficient analysis” – Equinor announced Monday that the BOEM had lifted the stop-work order.
The high-profile flip-flop, naturally, is being framed as a magnanimous victory of Presidential leadership. Equinor ASA President and CEO Anders Opedal, NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen Harris and Hochul herself all thanked Trump by name for reversing the decision.
“I would like to thank President Trump for finding a solution that saves thousands of American jobs and provides for continued investments in energy infrastructure in the [United States],” Opedal said in a statement, which also thanked Hochul “for her constructive collaboration with the Trump Administration” and shouted out contributions from Congressional and labor leaders, as well as the national leaders of Norway and France.
Harris, who also tipped her cap to the “strong leadership of Gov. Hochul,” said she was “grateful to President Trump and Secretary Burgum for lifting the stop-work order,” while Hochul commended Trump for his flexibility.
Anders Opedal: Grateful CEO.
“I want to thank President Trump for his willingness to work with me to save the 1,500 good-paying union jobs that were on the line and helping get this essential project back on track,” the governor said.
Environmentalists, meanwhile, focused their gratitude on Equinor, project stakeholders, labor leaders and especially on Hochul – “an early and continuous champion for offshore wind,” according to Alliance for Clean Energy New York Executive Director Marguerite Wells.
“Today, I am reminded how proud I am to be a New Yorker,” Wells said in a statement. “We thank Gov. Hochul for … bringing her advocacy to the highest levels of government.”
“We are beyond grateful to Gov. Hochul for her tireless support,” added Alicia Gené Artessa, director of the New York Offshore Wind Alliance. “Offshore wind is not only an important industry for our state’s economy, it will also secure New York’s grid and provide a critical energy source to millions of homes.
“Lifting the stop-work order saved over 1,000 union jobs, secured New York’s energy independence and brought us one step closer to cleaner and healthier air in disadvantaged communities,” Artessa added. “We greatly appreciate all of our stakeholders who helped support this monumental effort, especially our friends in labor.”
