By Hank Russell
After President Donald Trump announced that he ordered a stop-work order, a wind energy company has put the brakes on a project off the waters of Long Island.
Equinor, a Norwegian company, recently announced that all activity on the Empire Wind 1 Project — located off the coast of the City of Long Beach — will be suspended pending a review from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The company has 60 days to appeal.
The BOEM has ordered Empire Offshore Wind LLC “to halt all ongoing activities related to the Empire Wind Project on the outer continental shelf to allow time for it to address feedback it has received, including from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), about the environmental analyses for that project,” Acting Interior Secretary Walter D. Kruickshank wrote in a letter to Empire Secretary Matthew Brotmann.
“BOEM received this and other feedback regarding Empire Wind as an outgrowth of the review that the Department is engaged in related to offshore wind projects,” Kruickshank added.
Empire, which is owned by Equinor, said it is engaging with relevant authorities to clarify this matter and is considering its legal remedies, including appealing the order.
The federal lease for Empire Wind was signed with the first Trump administration in 2017. Empire Wind 1 has validly secured all necessary federal and state permits and is currently under construction. The project is being developed under contract with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to provide an important new source of electricity for the State of New York. The construction phase has put more than 1,500 people to work in the US. Empire Wind 1 has the potential to power 500,000 New York homes, according to the company.
“Empire is complying with the order affecting project activities for Empire Wind,” the company stated in a press release. “Upon receipt of the order, immediate steps were taken by Empire and its contractors to initiate suspension of relevant marine activities, ensuring the safety of workers and the environment.”