General – New York
New York Attorney General Letitia James yesterday filed two lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful attempt to halt construction on a pair of major offshore wind projects.
Late last month, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) abruptly issued stop-work orders to the New York-based Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind projects, directing them to immediately suspend all construction due to undisclosed ‘national security’ concerns.
Attorney General James argues that these orders are arbitrary and unwarranted, as both projects underwent years of extensive national security and safety reviews, and pausing these projects could threaten New York’s economy and energy grid. She is asking the court to intervene to block the administration’s stop-work orders.
“New Yorkers deserve clean, reliable energy, good-paying jobs, and a government that follows the law,” said Attorney General James. “These projects were carefully reviewed and already under construction when the federal government pulled the plug without explanation. This reckless decision puts workers, families, and our climate goals at risk, and my office is taking action to stop it.”
“New York will not back down in our fight for a clean energy future and I commend Attorney General James for taking this action to lift the unlawful stop work orders on New York’s two offshore wind projects under construction,” said Governor Kathy Hochul. “The Trump administration’s incomprehensible obsession with shutting down these fully permitted projects lacks legal justification, hurts his stated goal of U.S. energy independence, and will cost New York thousands of jobs and needed power to keep the lights on and attract economic development opportunities. These unlawful actions cannot stand.”
“Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind are critical large-scale electricity projects for New York state,” said New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris. “Together, they will generate more than 1,700 megawatts of power—enough to meet roughly 10 percent of the electricity needs of New York City and Long Island. Federal actions are once again putting New York’s energy reliability, affordability, and clean energy progress at risk. These projects are essential to support the reliability of our electrical grid, local jobs and economic development, and delivery of affordable, clean power New Yorkers depend on. I commend Attorney General James and Governor Hochul for standing up for New York as we continue to fight for an affordable, abundant, reliable, and clean energy future for our state.”
The Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind projects are offshore wind developments off the coast of Long Island. The Sunrise Wind project, located about 30 miles east of Montauk, is currently under construction and is expected to power around 600,000 homes in New York. The Empire Wind project, also under construction, is situated roughly 14 miles southeast of Long Island and is projected to supply more than 500,000 homes. Empire Wind will be the first offshore wind project to deliver power directly to New York City, enhancing the energy grid in one of the most energy-constrained regions in the country. Construction is ongoing, and both projects have already achieved significant progress. Thousands of workers are presently employed or have recently worked on these projects, with billions of dollars already invested.
