Trump Throws Wrench Into Offshore Wind, Putting New York’s Clean Energy Plans In Doubt

The jury’s still out on whether Trump’s order could affect those two projects, Empire Wind I and Sunrise Wind, both of which have federal permits. But his directive seems certain to complicate things for the next round of projects, for which the state plans to announce contracts by the end of March.

Governor Kathy Hochul vowed to fight Trump’s actions at her budget presentation on Tuesday.

“We also must be prepared to meet the challenge of the federal government walking back commitments to offshore wind, a key energy source in our transition to renewables,” she said.

Hochul told reporters the technology is needed to power growing industries, like artificial intelligence, and will support an increasing number of jobs. “What are you going to do to help your neighbors get their jobs that they were counting on?” she asked, addressing Long Island native Lee Zeldin, her former gubernatorial contender and Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

Officials have estimated that the offshore wind industry could create more than 14,000 jobs in New York by 2030.

“It’s been an economic engine for our region. Why would we dismantle that?” said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Long Island–based Citizens Campaign for the Environment. She pointed to “dock workers, iron workers, electricians, you name it,” who have already worked on the state’s first offshore wind farm. (Its developer, the Danish company Orsted, said that the project’s onshore cable work alone created more than 100 union jobs.)

Climate Jobs New York, a union coalition, said that it was still “carefully reviewing” Trump’s order and that wind was key to advancing energy independence and supporting working families.

“Across our state, union members are at the forefront of building a thriving domestic wind industry — delivering good-paying jobs, affordable and reliable electricity, cleaner air and water, and a boost to local economies,” said Esther Rosario, the coalition’s executive director.

Even after Trump’s order, other players in the state’s wind industry are maintaining the “wait and see” posture they took in the weeks after the election.

“It is too soon in the process to determine what impact, if any, federal actions might have [on] New York reaching its ambitious renewable energy targets,” said a spokesperson for NYSERDA, the state energy authority that awards offshore wind contracts.

“We will continue to assess all policy developments and work with the Trump administration as we deliver long-term energy solutions for the growing American economy,” said Equinor, the Norwegian company developing Empire Wind, in a statement.

Trump’s move could face legal challenges.

“There is a body of case law that has developed in response to Democratic administrations attempting to pause permitting of oil and gas projects that could come back to bite the Trump administration here,” said Matthew Eisenson, a senior fellow at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.

The first Trump administration lost more than three-quarters of the court cases against its regulatory actions, according to New York University’s Institute for Policy Integrity. Many of those cases were brought by state attorneys general, including New York’s.

Asked whether the state was considering legal action over the offshore wind order, a spokesperson for Attorney General Letitia James said her office was reviewing the matter.

If a state like New York were to sue, the case could take years to work its way through the courts. In the meantime, wind industry executives are trying to decide where and how to spend their money. A single offshore project can cost hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars up front. An uncertain climate could lead companies to pull their investments away from the East Coast, as some already have.

“Those who are building [offshore wind projects] want to make sure that they get a return on their investment, because it’s a big risk they take,” Freudenberg said.

Even before Trump’s order, the industry was struggling to gain its footing amid the fallout from pandemic-driven inflation and supply chain shocks. Hours before Trump was sworn in, Orsted, the Danish developer, announced $1.7 billion in losses on its US portfolio driven by delays to Sunrise wind. It now says the New York project won’t be done until the second half of 2027, at least six months later than planned.

Some state lawmakers representing Long Island districts welcome a longer pause. Senator Mario Mattera, a Republican of Suffolk County and the ranking member of the chamber’s energy committee, applauded Trump’s executive order.