NY’s offshore wind project resumes after Trump’s stop work order

US Federal Court Lifts Pause on Offshore Wind Projects in New York

A federal court's ruling has given a temporary reprieve to two major offshore wind projects off the coast of New York, allowing them to resume construction after being halted by President Trump's administration. The Empire 1 project from Norwegian energy firm Equinor can now proceed with its plans to provide electricity to New York City via 54 turbines in the Atlantic Ocean.

The decision came as a result of Equinor's lawsuit against the US Department of the Interior, which had issued an order to stop work on offshore wind projects citing unspecified safety and national security concerns. While Equinor has secured a preliminary injunction allowing it to restart construction activities, its case remains ongoing with the White House still calling wind energy "the scam of the century."

Another project, Sunrise from Danish energy firm Orsted, is also seeking a preliminary injunction against the work stoppage order. However, its case remains pending.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has been vocal in her opposition to the pause on offshore wind projects, stating that they were designed to hurt workers and the state's economy. Her office had filed a lawsuit last week calling the blockage of the state's wind projects "arbitrary and capricious."

The Empire 1 project is approximately half complete and was initially scheduled to provide power next year. The Sunrise wind project, meanwhile, is nearly at its halfway point and was expected to be operational around the same time.

Both projects underwent extensive national security and safety reviews before receiving approval from the US Department of Defense, but no specific concerns were cited by the Trump administration for the pause on these projects.

The halt on offshore wind construction has significant implications for the thousands of union workers employed in the projects, as well as billions of dollars invested into infrastructure development. Advocacy groups have warned that even if the court's ruling is successful, additional steps could be taken to disrupt or delay the projects.

With this decision, Equinor plans to restart its construction activities with a focus on ensuring safe and responsible execution of its operations. However, the long-term impact of the pause remains uncertain, and advocates for offshore wind energy stress that more needs to be done to secure these critical infrastructure projects.

Ugh, just great, another setback for the environment . I mean, who needs clean energy when you can have endless excuses from politicians? Like, come on, "the scam of the century"? Give me a break . Thousands of workers are gonna be out of jobs and billions are gonna be down the drain because some dude in the White House has an opinion about wind farms . And don't even get me started on the "national security" concerns... like, no one's ever seen a better excuse for a bureaucratic pause .

OMG, like, can you believe this? The US Federal Court just lifted the pause on those massive offshore wind projects off New York's coast ! It's like, yay for Equinor and Orsted, right? But at the same time, I'm still super confused about why Trump's admin was being all shady about it in the first place . Like, didn't they know how much money and jobs were on the line here? It's not just about the economy, though - those workers are counting on these projects to provide for their families . I'm still a bit worried about what might happen next, but fingers crossed that this ruling sets a good precedent . Maybe we'll finally see some real progress on offshore wind energy .

Ugh, can't believe this . So, Equinor's all good now, can start building their offshore wind project in NY... great . But what about the other one from Orsted? Still stuck in limbo . And don't even get me started on the whole Trump thing... like, what's the holdup here? Just a bunch of bureaucratic red tape and politics . And the workers, man... thousands of them are getting paid to do nothing because of some admin overreach . It's just so frustrating . Can't we just get this done already?!

Man, can you believe this ? The US government was literally trying to screw over New York's offshore wind project plans like they were a scam . It's crazy that the Trump admin thought they could just block it without anyone questioning it . I mean, don't get me wrong, safety and security are super important, but come on, these projects went through so much scrutiny before getting approval from the DoD .

And can you imagine the impact this has had on all those workers who were counting on these jobs ? It's a huge deal that Equinor got a reprieve to start construction again . But honestly, it's still kinda scary how quickly things can change in politics . I'm rooting for Orsted and the Sunrise project to get back on track too

Idk why people even bother arguing over this stuff... just think about it, we're talkin' 'bout harnessing clean energy from the ocean ! It's like, basic common sense, you know? And those union workers are counting on these projects to provide for their families. It's not like they're some new fad that's gonna disappear tomorrow . I mean, we're already seeing the effects of climate change and rising sea levels... do we really wanna wait around to find out how bad it gets before we start taking action? I'm all for transparency in gov't decision-making, but come on, let's not make a mountain outta a molehill here. Let Equinor get back to work and provide some real progress for NYCity

this whole thing got me thinking about how we value progress vs safety... like, what's more important? The economic growth from these projects or the supposed 'safety concerns' that are being used as an excuse to halt them ... meanwhile, thousands of workers are losing their jobs and billions of dollars are being invested in infrastructure development... it's all so tied up in this notion of national security, but what does that even mean for us on a daily basis?

I'm glad to see this ruling coming through - it's about time . I mean, the US is all about innovation and moving forward, right? And offshore wind power is a huge step in the right direction ️. It's crazy that the Trump admin was so opposed to it - like, come on, guys! We're talking about clean energy here, not some shady scam .

I'm actually a bit annoyed that this pause happened in the first place. I mean, we knew wind power was going to be big for New York City and beyond. It's gonna create jobs, stimulate growth, and get us off fossil fuels . And the fact that some people thought it was a bad idea is just mind-boggling.

So yeah, Equinor getting this preliminary injunction is awesome . Now we can start seeing these projects come to life and get the benefits they offer - like reduced carbon emissions and more energy independence . Fingers crossed the White House doesn't mess with it again .

I gotta say, this is a big win for clean energy in New York . I mean, come on, we're talking about thousands of jobs and billions of dollars being invested in our economy – that's some serious economic growth right there . And let's be real, the fact that these projects were already vetted by the DoD means they're not just some fly-by-night operation .

I also gotta give props to Governor Hochul for speaking up against the pause on offshore wind projects – she's definitely got the state's best interests at heart . And it's crazy that the White House is still trying to badmouth wind energy – I mean, what's their problem? Don't they care about our future or something?

Anyway, I'm just glad that this decision gives Equinor and Orsted some breathing room to get their projects back on track . And hey, even if there are still some bumps in the road, at least we can say we're moving in the right direction towards a cleaner, more sustainable energy future .

I'm low-key relieved that Equinor's Empire 1 project is getting back on track Finally, some sense in Washington! It's crazy how the Trump admin thought it could just halt an entire industry without even explaining why And I feel for Kathy Hochul, trying to fight the good fight as a governor amidst all this nonsense But seriously, offshore wind energy is the future, folks We can't keep relying on fossil fuels and expecting our planet to be okay

Man, can you believe this? A court is literally telling Trump's admin to back off on their stupid safety concerns and now these massive offshore wind projects can finally move forward! I mean, come on, 54 turbines off the coast of NYC? That's a game changer for renewable energy. And all because of some arbitrary national security concerns? Give me a break!

I'm so sick of politicians trying to stifle progress and screw over workers and the economy. Governor Hochul is speaking truth to power here, and I love it! The fact that these projects have already gone through extensive reviews by the DoD and still got blocked by Trump's admin is just ridiculous. It's like they're trying to hold up a necessary step in our transition to cleaner energy.

I'm also super concerned about the union workers who are going to be affected by this pause. Thousands of people rely on these jobs, and now they're being put at risk because of some administration's petty concerns. We need more support for these workers and more action from politicians to make sure our transition to renewable energy is smooth and safe.

But hey, at least this court decision is a step in the right direction! Maybe we can finally get off fossil fuels and start building a better future for ourselves and future generations. Fingers crossed!

its crazy how a single admin can just pause an entire project and then later try to backtrack on it like what even is the logic behind this? NY Gov Hochul was right on the money saying its gonna hurt workers & economy, but still gotta wonder why all the drama over wind energy... shouldn't we be trying to reduce our carbon footprint instead of holding it back?

the pause on offshore wind projects is like, super frustrating i mean what's the point of investing billions in renewable energy if we're just gonna stop construction on it? the fact that trump's admin was all secretive about their safety concerns but still approved the projects beforehand is just shady and now equinor gets to move forward with its plans, but like, who knows for how long? the impact on workers and the economy in ny state is huge too... it's not just about saving the planet, it's about supporting people's livelihoods

This ruling is a huge relief for both Equinor and Orsted, but it's also kinda frustrating because we're already so behind on meeting our climate goals . I mean, these projects have been in the works for ages, and now they can finally move forward without some bureaucratic holdup. It's like, what was the Trump administration even thinking with that "scam of the century" nonsense?

The thing is, this pause has already caused so much uncertainty and disruption to thousands of workers and billions of dollars in infrastructure investment. And let's be real, we can't afford to be stuck in limbo like this anymore . We need to get these projects moving ASAP if we want to make a dent in our carbon emissions.

I'm also kinda curious to see what the long-term implications are going to be for offshore wind energy in the US . Are there gonna be more lawsuits and delays? Will we actually start seeing some real progress on this front? Only time will tell, but for now, let's just hope that this ruling sets us up for success .

aww man ... this is great news! finally some progress on those offshore wind projects . I'm so glad Equinor's case got resolved and they can get back to building those turbines . it's like, we've been waiting for ages for these projects to come online and now we're one step closer . the whole thing was so frustrating with that pause and all . but i'm sure everything will be alright now . can't wait to see some real change in our energy game ...

idk why anyone's stoked about this lol these offshore wind projects are just gonna suck up all our taxpayer $$$ and make NY City even more expensive for people like me who can barely afford rent meanwhile, the "safety" and "national security" concerns that Trump's admin was crying about turn out to be nothing it's like they just wanted an excuse to halt the project so they could do some other shady deal

just heard about this news and I'm SO stoked!!! finally, some sense is coming back to the US gov it's like, come on guys, we've been over this wind energy thing for years now we know it's clean, it's safe, and it's gonna save us from those fossil fuels so happy for Equinor and Orsted, they're about to get back to work and I'm all about that! can't wait to see these projects come online and start generating some real electricity

idk why trump still trying to sabotage renewable energy like wats the point of having a green economy if we cant even build some wind turbines nyc is gonna need that electricity for all them electric cars and homes anyone think about the future? meanwhile, offshore wind projects are basically like a big job creator for thousands of people dont know how much more delay can we take

omg I'm so hyped about this! finally some good news for NY's renewable energy scene The Empire 1 project from Equinor is going to bring in those sweet, sweet turbines and start generating electricity for the city can't wait to see it all come together and I love that Governor Hochul is speaking up for the workers and economy too this is exactly what we need more of sustainable energy and less Trump-style drama fingers crossed for the Sunrise project too

man i'm so hyped about this development ...the US government has been super slow on embracing renewable energy, but it's finally starting to move forward...the fact that Equinor can start construction again is a huge deal, not just for the company but also for the thousands of workers who are counting on these projects ...i'm curious to see how this will affect the overall economy in New York, governor Hochul was right to call out the pause as arbitrary and capricious ...the real question now is what's going to happen with Orsted's project...will they get the same reprieve?