The Trump administration has stopped construction of a vast wind farm currently under construction off the coast of Long Island.
“Interior department staff have obtained information that raises serious questions regarding the approval of the Imperial Wind Project’s project,” Doug Burgum’s Interior Secretary wrote in a letter to the Maritime Energy Management Office on Wednesday. Washington Free Beacon.
“Project approval was rushed by previous administrators without sufficient analysis or inter-agency consultation to relate to the potential impact from the project,” he added, pointing his finger at former President Joe Biden. “This outage will take effect until further review is completed to address these serious defects.”
Bulgham later confirmed the movement in a statement from X.
This is the latest development in a drama brewed in waters about 15 miles from Long Island’s southeast coast, where Norwegian energy company Equinor broke the ground with 54 wind turbines known as Empire 1.
Supported by Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul, the project is supposed to bring power to 500,000 homes and is part of an ambitious plan to make New York’s fossils fuelless by 2050.
But it has attracted criticism from Nassau County officials who claim marine life and local fisheries will be harmed, leaving the island’s power lines tied up through dense residential areas.
That future was first raised doubts when President Trump took office on January 20th and quickly signed a massive executive order to halt wind energy leases in federal waterways.
Empire 1 already had permission and continued work on the turbine foundations.
Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman is one of the project’s most vocal local critics, and reflected Burgham’s comments at a press conference on Wednesday in Long Beach.
“We had a very long, fruitful and detailed conversation about the entire project on the board,” Blakeman told reporters. “As I said before, those who were approved don’t think the process, the approval process, was done fairly.”
“I don’t think it was done the right way,” he added. “I don’t think it was done in a hardworking way. I think there was a shortcut. I think there was a misinformation.
Burgum writes that federal review of project permits will continue.
Gov. Hochul condemned the move (the latest blow to the state’s green energy agenda) and vowed to fight the Trump administration’s move.
“This fully-authorized project already has the shovel on the ground before the president’s executive order. That’s exactly the type of bipartisan energy solution we should tackle,” Hochul said Wednesday.
“As governor, I will not allow this federal overreach. I will fight against all the stages of the union’s work, affordable energy and the pathway to protecting New York’s economic future,” she added.
An Equiner spokesperson confirmed that he received notifications from Bohem about the project.
“We will be involved directly with Bohem and the Home Office to understand the questions raised about the permissions we received from the authorities,” the spokesman told the Post. “We won’t comment until we learn more about the potential outcomes.”
