{"id":375647,"date":"2025-04-18T19:53:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T17:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=375647"},"modified":"2025-04-18T19:53:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T17:53:31","slug":"a-political-noreaster-empire-wind-project-hits-a-wall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=375647","title":{"rendered":"A Political Nor\u2019easter: Empire Wind Project Hits a Wall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Charles Rotter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on and excerpted from an article by Beege Welborn at HotAir<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a clear grasp of both the policy mechanics and the public frustration behind them, Welborn outlines a story that encapsulates much of what\u2019s wrong with our current approach to green energy development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Empire Wind Scheme<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Empire Wind 1, pushed by Norwegian energy firm Equinor with the full backing of New York\u2019s Governor Kathy Hochul and the Biden administration, was intended to be a showcase for offshore wind. Instead, it showcased something else entirely: how to push through a $3 billion project with double the national average energy costs and virtually no comprehensive review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welborn lays it out clearly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWhat was not a bargain were the rates the company locked in with the state of NY before a single survey had been done\u2014they were going to be twice the national average.\u201d\u200b

https:\/\/hotair.com\/tree-hugging-sister\/2025\/04\/17\/burgum-takes-the-wind-out-of-the-empire-states-plans-n3801885#google_vignette<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

From environmental impacts to national security risks to economic irrationality, Empire Wind had it all\u2014yet the project barreled ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Executive Action and Bureaucratic Course Correction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

President Trump\u2019s January 20 executive order called for a pause and reassessment of offshore wind projects\u2014a direct response to the rushed approvals and dubious oversight seen under the previous administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equinor, apparently eager to get ahead of that review, jumped the gun. They began construction efforts offshore, quietly deploying ships and robotic equipment to lay the groundwork for their turbine bases.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
https:\/\/x.com\/saveLBIorg\/status\/1911394887607722459<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"
https:\/\/x.com\/saveLBIorg\/status\/1907432221566185750<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

New Jersey Congressmen Jeff Drew and Chris Smith were outraged at Equinor\u2019s actions in the face of President Trump\u2019s pretty succinct Executive Order, which paused approvals for new farms until their original initial review process could be thoroughly reexamined.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/hotair.com\/tree-hugging-sister\/2025\/04\/17\/burgum-takes-the-wind-out-of-the-empire-states-plans-n3801885#google_vignette<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
https:\/\/x.com\/njcoast_protect\/status\/1907205760209051776<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\n

\u201cOut of nowhere, a bell suddenly rang, and Equinor\u2019s time was up.\u201d

https:\/\/hotair.com\/tree-hugging-sister\/2025\/04\/17\/burgum-takes-the-wind-out-of-the-empire-states-plans-n3801885#google_vignette<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That bell came in the form of Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, who ordered an immediate halt to all Empire Wind construction. Burgum cited deficiencies in the permitting process and a lack of consultation among federal agencies, calling the Biden-era greenlight \u201crushed\u201d and analytically insufficient\u200b.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The Trump administration is halting construction of a massive offshore wind project being built in federal waters off the coast of New York <\/strong><\/em>and ordering a sprawling review of existing offshore wind permits, the Washington Free Beacon<\/em> has learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Wednesday to order foreign energy developer Equinor to cease all construction activities on its Empire Wind project<\/a>, according to a memorandum obtained by the <\/strong><\/em>Free Beacon<\/strong>. <\/em>Burgum said the Biden administration green-lit permits for the project and ultimately approved it without conducting proper analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cApproval for the project was rushed through by the prior administration without sufficient analysis or consultation among the relevant agencies as relates to the potential effects from the project,\u201d Burgum wrote. He said the halt on Empire Wind will be in effect indefinitely until further review is completed to \u201caddress these serious deficiencies<\/strong><\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Burgum additionally ordered Interior Department staff to continue a review of federal wind permitting practices related to both existing and pending permits and approvals.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A Coalition of Common Sense<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The resistance to Empire Wind wasn\u2019t isolated to a few concerned locals. It was a broad coalition\u2014commercial fishermen, legal advocates, radar and defense experts, and elected officials\u2014who consistently raised concerns about environmental harm, economic waste, and procedural shortcuts.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
https:\/\/x.com\/fishstewardship\/status\/1912596015716413549<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey summed up the concern:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an alarming development\u2026 NEPA review process under the Biden Administration\u2026 was completely inadequate.\u201d\u200b

https:\/\/hotair.com\/tree-hugging-sister\/2025\/04\/17\/burgum-takes-the-wind-out-of-the-empire-states-plans-n3801885#google_vignette<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And Rep. Jeff Van Drew called the project\u2019s halt \u201ca big offshore wind victory,\u201d citing his collaboration with the Trump administration to bring these issues to light\u200b.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

While climate cultists and industry advocates went into delicious swoons of doom and despair.

https:\/\/hotair.com\/tree-hugging-sister\/2025\/04\/17\/burgum-takes-the-wind-out-of-the-empire-states-plans-n3801885#google_vignette<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
https:\/\/x.com\/Sen_Gounardes\/status\/1912656025146057048<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Empire Wind saga is a reminder of why process matters. Energy infrastructure\u2014particularly projects with national security, environmental, and economic implications\u2014cannot be waved through without scrutiny. Enthusiasm for projects should never override the need for transparency, due diligence, and cost-benefit analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the Trump administration\u2019s intervention and the vigilance of critics across the spectrum, the brakes have been applied to a project that had all the signs of a bureaucratic runaway train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And thanks to journalists like Beege Welborn, the public is better informed about what\u2019s really going on behind the green curtain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Empire Wind 1, pushed by Norwegian energy firm Equinor with the full backing of New York\u2019s Governor Kathy Hochul and the Biden administration, was intended to be a showcase for offshore wind. Instead, it showcased something else entirely: how to push through a $3 billion project with double the national average energy costs and virtually no comprehensive review.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":375662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818336,691834619,691834618,691831235,691833487],"class_list":["post-375647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-biden-administration","tag-empire-wind","tag-new-yorks-governor-kathy-hochul","tag-offshore-wind-osw","tag-us-president-donald-j-trump","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/00offshore-wind-landing-page-copy.webp?fit=1500%2C1244&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1zIP","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":379362,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=379362","url_meta":{"origin":375647,"position":0},"title":"Trump Administration Lifts Stop-Work Order on $5 Billion New York Offshore Wind Project","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/22\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Trump administration has rescinded a stop-work order that had temporarily halted construction of the Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project near New York. The decision clears the way for Equinor, the project\u2019s developer, to resume building the $5 billion installation intended to generate electricity for the state.","rel":"","context":"In \"Empire Wind 1 project\"","block_context":{"text":"Empire Wind 1 project","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=empire-wind-1-project"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChatGPT-Image-2.-Mai-2025-12_52_05.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChatGPT-Image-2.-Mai-2025-12_52_05.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChatGPT-Image-2.-Mai-2025-12_52_05.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChatGPT-Image-2.-Mai-2025-12_52_05.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":293799,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=293799","url_meta":{"origin":375647,"position":1},"title":"Developers Cancel Huge Offshore Wind Contract In Latest Blow To Biden\u2019s Climate Agenda","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/05\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The two firms behind a major offshore wind project decided to cancel a contract to supply power from the development on Wednesday, dealing a major blow to President Joe Biden\u2019s massive green energy agenda.","rel":"","context":"In \"British Petroleum\"","block_context":{"text":"British Petroleum","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=british-petroleum"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/zScreenshot-2023-11-03-111148-1024x611-2.webp?fit=1024%2C611&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/zScreenshot-2023-11-03-111148-1024x611-2.webp?fit=1024%2C611&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/zScreenshot-2023-11-03-111148-1024x611-2.webp?fit=1024%2C611&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/zScreenshot-2023-11-03-111148-1024x611-2.webp?fit=1024%2C611&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":375918,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=375918","url_meta":{"origin":375647,"position":2},"title":"New York Just Can’t Catch A Break On The March To Climate Utopia","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/20\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In June 2019, when New York passed its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), it all seemed so easy. Back then, everyone knew that \u201crenewables\u201d were cheaper than fossil fuels for making electricity; it was only the nefarious machinations of evil oil and gas companies that stood in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA)\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-leadership-and-community-protection-act-clcpa"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/OIG.vexv09x7eceJyz8z.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/OIG.vexv09x7eceJyz8z.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/OIG.vexv09x7eceJyz8z.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/OIG.vexv09x7eceJyz8z.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":341357,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=341357","url_meta":{"origin":375647,"position":3},"title":"Offshore trojan horses","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/02\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"In July, the U.S. Department of Interior greenlighted large offshore wind farms in New Jersey and Maryland. Once the financial agreements are in place, New Jersey\u2019s Atlantic Shores and Maryland\u2019s MarWin and Momentum will join the two large wind farms in New York approved in June. These projects will receive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)\"","block_context":{"text":"Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bureau-of-ocean-energy-management-boem"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Wind-turbines-Dutch-Coast.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Wind-turbines-Dutch-Coast.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Wind-turbines-Dutch-Coast.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Wind-turbines-Dutch-Coast.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Wind-turbines-Dutch-Coast.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":437064,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=437064","url_meta":{"origin":375647,"position":4},"title":"Trump\u2019s \u2018billion-dollar giveaway\u2019 actually a refund to free us from costly offshore wind","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/03\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Headlines last week (NY Times, NPR, CNN) screamed that President Donald Trump was handing nearly a billion dollars to a French energy giant to cancel building offshore wind farms. The coverage was classic gotcha journalism \u2014 misleading, incomplete, and designed to fit a tired narrative. The real story is far\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate Act\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate Act","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-act"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0Offshore-wind-in-rows.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0Offshore-wind-in-rows.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0Offshore-wind-in-rows.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0Offshore-wind-in-rows.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0Offshore-wind-in-rows.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":341283,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=341283","url_meta":{"origin":375647,"position":5},"title":"Offshore Trojan Horses","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/02\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"In July, the U.S. Department of Interior\u00a0greenlighted\u00a0large offshore wind farms in\u00a0New Jersey\u00a0and\u00a0Maryland. Once the financial agreements are in place, New Jersey\u2019s Atlantic Shores and Maryland\u2019s MarWin and Momentum will join the two large wind farms in New York approved in June. These projects will receive huge, multibillion-dollar subsidies from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)\"","block_context":{"text":"Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bureau-of-ocean-energy-management-boem"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0p-90920419-biden-new-jersey-offshore-wind.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0p-90920419-biden-new-jersey-offshore-wind.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0p-90920419-biden-new-jersey-offshore-wind.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0p-90920419-biden-new-jersey-offshore-wind.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0p-90920419-biden-new-jersey-offshore-wind.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=375647"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":375663,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375647\/revisions\/375663"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/375662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=375647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=375647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=375647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}