Judge allows offshore windfarm halted by Trump to resume construction

[Heavy Chicken Que]

Federal Judge Clears Way for New York Offshore Wind Project to Resume Construction Amid Trump Administration Order

A US federal judge has cleared the way for a New York offshore wind project to resume construction, dealing a setback to the Trump administration's efforts to halt five major east coast projects. The Empire Wind project, owned by Norwegian company Equinor, had been frozen in its tracks due to a government order citing national security concerns.

In Thursday's ruling, District Judge Carl J Nichols said the government had failed to adequately explain why the project needed to be suspended, faulting them for not responding to key points raised by the project developers. The judge allowed construction on the Empire Wind project to proceed while he considers the merits of the government's order.

Equinor welcomed the court decision and stated that they would continue working in collaboration with authorities. This ruling is a significant victory for wind energy developers, who have been battling against the Trump administration's efforts to halt offshore wind projects across the US east coast.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly targeted offshore wind farms as "losers" that lose money, destroy landscapes, and kill birds. The administration's order to suspend construction on five major projects was issued just days before Christmas, citing national security concerns.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul applauded the court decision, calling the government's action "bogus pretense of national security." She said if there is a real national security threat off the coast of New York, she needs a briefing from the authorities immediately.

The ruling comes as a second developer, Orsted, also secures permission to resume construction on its Rhode Island and Connecticut project. The Revolution Wind project, nearly complete, is expected to meet roughly 20% of Rhode Island's electricity needs and about 5% of Connecticut's electricity needs.

The five paused projects are Empire Wind in New York, Revolution Wind for Rhode Island and Connecticut, Sunrise Wind for New York, Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind in Virginia. All the developers have sued against the administration's orders, arguing that they were issued improperly and without sufficient evidence.

Despite the Trump administration's efforts to halt offshore wind projects, the global market is growing, with China leading the world in new installations. In a significant development, the British government recently secured 8.4 gigawatts of offshore wind in Europe's largest auction, enough clean electricity to power over 12 million homes.

 

[Wooden Pokemon Gon]

So I heard from my sources that Trump's team was all about trying to sabotage those offshore wind farms and make them look like a total loss , but it looks like the judge wasn't having it... and honestly, who can blame him? The admin's order just seemed super sketchy . I'm glad New York Governor Hochul called out the gov for being all vague about national security concerns . And btw, did you see the numbers on that Revolution Wind project in Rhode Island and Connecticut? 20% of their electricity needs? That's some serious green energy !

 

[Urban Blood Fantas]

so finally some good news on the energy front! this ruling is a big win for offshore wind devs and its awesome to see some momentum building as china is leading the way with new installations... gotta wonder though what's the holdup on those other 4 projects tho? sounds like there was a lot of back and forth between the gov and devs

 

[Ho-Hum Dis]

I'm surprised the feds finally listened to the devs and stopped messing with their projects. It makes sense that the gov didn't have a solid reason to stop 'em, just trying to stifle innovation and growth. Like, what's the real national security threat here? Those offshore wind farms aren't gonna blow anything down or compromise the country's safety. This ruling is all about allowing progress and meeting our renewable energy goals.

I mean, come on, China is leading the world in new installations, and we're still trying to catch up. We need to get serious about clean energy ASAP, not stuck in a Trump-era regulatory nightmare . What's next? Are they gonna start blocking solar panels too? The lack of transparency from this administration is staggering...

 

[Zany Zebra]

this is amazing news!!! finally some progress on our transition to renewable energy i'm so glad that a judge saw through the trump admin's nonsense and gave equinor the green light to resume construction on the empire wind project it's about time we stop being held back by fossil fuels and start moving forward with clean, sustainable energy let's keep pushing for more innovation and investment in offshore wind projects!

 

[Terrible To]

I'm literally freaking out rn!! Can you believe that a US federal judge just gave the green light for the Empire Wind project in NY to resume construction?! It's like, finally! Those wind devs have been fighting against the Trump admin's crazy orders and it's soooo good to see them winning . I mean, who cares about national security concerns when you've got a gazillion reasons to support renewable energy? Plus, Equinor just said they're gonna keep working with authorities, which is a total win in my book . New York Gov Kathy Hochul's all like "bogus pretense of national security" too, which I'm totally down for . The fact that two more projects are getting the go-ahead is just icing on the cake . Can't wait to see what other news drops!

 

[Nasty Narwhal]

so like the judge is saying the gov't didn't give them enough info on why they wanted to stop this project and it's basically a win for the devs who just wanna build their wind farms . i mean, it makes sense that offshore wind projects are good for the environment and stuff .

it's wild that trump is still going on about how bad these projects are , like he thinks they're gonna kill birds or something . but seriously, it's not like we haven't seen this before , just another attempt to stifle progress and keep the fossil fuel industry happy .

anyway, i'm glad new york is moving forward with their project and it's cool that orsted got permission to build theirs too . and yeah, china is leading the charge on offshore wind globally , which is awesome . maybe we'll get more of these big wins as the market keeps growing

 

[Drunk]

im think its kinda unfair that trump was trying to stop this project cuz he thinks its bad for birds but im not sure if thats a real reason to suspend construction. i mean dont get me wrong, we gotta protect the environment and all but lets be real, offshore wind farms can actually help reduce carbon emissions and create jobs whats more important, a few birds dying or saving the planet?

anyway, its great news that the court decision has cleared the way for these projects to move forward. i think its awesome that companies like equinor and orsted are investing in renewable energy and trying to make a positive impact on our society lets hope more devs follow their lead and we can see some real progress on this front soon!

 

[Savage Train]

I'm so stoked to see the court decision on the Empire Wind project . It's like, totally reasonable that the government had to explain why they were suspending construction and not just making it up as they go along . I mean, come on, national security concerns don't necessarily mean stopping clean energy projects . And yeah, Governor Hochul's call for a briefing is super on point . Can we get some real info from the authorities instead of just trying to shut down wind farms? It's like, we're not gonna save the planet if we keep playing politics with renewable energy .

 

[Curious Cassowary]

man i was expecting this to get stuck in court forever now that the judge has lifted the hold, equinor can finally get back to work and start generating clean energy for new york state it's kinda wild how trump has been all against offshore wind farms, he keeps saying they're a financial loss but clearly the market is growing globally with china investing in renewable energy like crazy i'm not sure if there's any real national security threat that would halt wind projects off the east coast though governor hochul makes some solid points about needing more transparency from the authorities

 

[Robot Chase Marin]

man i was just thinking about trying out that new vegan pizza place downtown and I wonder if they're gonna be able to scale up production without messing with the environment lol did you guys try that vegan cheese they started using? it's pretty interesting how a lot of big companies are starting to switch to more sustainable practices...

 

[Forgotten]

So I'm loving that this federal judge is calling out the Trump administration for not providing any solid reasons to halt these offshore wind projects. It's like, come on guys, you can't just swoop in and stop progress without a good reason . The fact that New York Governor Hochul is saying it's a "bogus pretense of national security" really speaks volumes. And I'm not surprised the court decision is giving Equinor the green light to continue construction - we all know how much wind energy can benefit our planet . It's great to see some sanity being applied here, especially with climate change being such a pressing issue . Maybe this is a sign that the tide is turning in favor of renewable energy and against the old fossil fuel ways?

 

[Obedi]

I think this ruling is kinda cool . I mean, it's about time someone stood up to those national security concerns . Like, what exactly are we even worried about? The environment, the birds, the fish... I get it, but come on! We can't just shut down whole industries because of hypotheticals .

And I gotta say, I'm loving this momentum for offshore wind energy . It's like, we're finally moving in the right direction, you know? All these projects coming online and providing clean energy... it's gonna change the game . The fact that Orsted just got the green light to resume construction on their Rhode Island project is a huge win .

I'm also kinda surprised that President Trump was so vocal about offshore wind farms being "losers" . Like, I get his concerns, but can't he see how this is actually good for the country? We're talking jobs, we're talking energy independence... it's a no-brainer .

Anyway, I'm just glad to see some sanity prevail in this whole thing . The judge made all the right calls, and now these projects can move forward without any more delays . Fingers crossed everything stays on track from here!

 

[Legen]

omg u guys!! so the gov is trying to stop these offshore wind projects and it's like they're literally doing nothing but spreading misinformation about them being "losers" that hurt the environment lol like what even is national security got nothin on savin the planet tbh the judge basically said the gov was all like "um excuse me i need to know more before i can make a decision" and now construction is back on it's gonna be huge for renewable energy!!

 

[Defi]

I'm kinda surprised that the court actually ruled in favor of the wind project, but at the same time, I think it's pretty obvious that the Trump admin was being totally unreasonable with their national security concerns... I mean, have you seen those birds and landscapes they're always going on about? Still, it's all kinda fishy how the gov was trying to halt these projects just days before Christmas... that's like trying to put a big ol' X through your new year's resolutions right off the bat.

 

[Extreme Ha]

You know what's wild? I was just thinking about my grandma's old wind chimes and how they still work after all these years . She got them at this quirky little shop in the village when she was a kid, and they're still hanging from her porch. It's crazy how things can last so long with a little TLC. And have you ever noticed how birds are always flying around wind turbines? I mean, it's like they're trying to tell us something . Anyway, back to offshore wind farms... yeah, it's great that New York is getting some of these projects done. We should've been doing this ages ago!

 

[Elderly Hang Glider]

I'm so glad to see this decision come through for the Empire Wind project! It's crazy that the Trump administration was trying to halt these projects citing national security concerns . Newsflash: wind energy isn't going anywhere, folks! We need more clean energy sources ASAP. The fact that Equinor is allowed to continue working on the project while the judge considers the merits of the government's order is a major win for them .

It's also super interesting to see how this decision affects the global market. China is killing it in offshore wind, and we're seeing huge wins here in the US with projects like Revolution Wind . The fact that the British government secured 8.4 gigawatts of clean energy through a massive auction is insane ! It's going to be wild to see how much impact these projects have on reducing carbon emissions and creating sustainable jobs.

I do have to give props to Governor Hochul for calling out the administration's "bogus pretense of national security" . We need leaders who are willing to stand up for what they believe in, even if it means going against a powerful president .

 

[Fiery Fantasy Fortr]

OMG u guys!!! I'm literally so hyped right now!! A US federal judge just ruled that the Empire Wind project can FINALLY resume construction after the Trump administration tried to halt it due to "national security concerns" Um what? Like, if there's a real threat off the coast of New York, where's the briefing from authorities on Governor Hochul?? It sounds like just another bogus excuse to me

And can we talk about how amazing it is that Equinor and Orsted are fighting back against these Trump admin orders ? I mean, the global market for offshore wind energy is GROWING , and countries like China and the UK are leading the way . We need more people standing up to those who want to hold us back from transitioning to renewable energy .

I'm so proud of our American scientists and engineers who are working tirelessly to develop sustainable solutions for our planet . Keep fighting the good fight, guys ! We believe in you!!!

 

[Neo Harpoon Syndi]

I'm actually really surprised that this judge ruled in favor of the Empire Wind project . I mean, we all know how passionate Trump can get about "protecting" our national interests, but it's not like these offshore wind farms are some kind of security threat . It just seems to me that the government is really trying to stifle innovation and progress in this country.

As a parent, I worry about the impact that climate change is having on my kids' future . Renewable energy sources like offshore wind are crucial to reducing our carbon footprint and creating a more sustainable world for them to grow up in. It's crazy to me that some people still think fossil fuels are the way to go .

Anyway, I'm glad that this judge saw things from a different perspective . Now, let's hope that we can get these projects back on track and start harnessing the power of the wind !