Burgum Halts Empire Wind Project

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered a halt to construction on the Empire Wind offshore wind project. The project, located off Long Island, could power more than 500,000 homes and support thousands of good-paying union jobs. Empire Wind also supports the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, which would create more than 1,000 union jobs and apprenticeships in New York City. The Empire Wind project is fully permitted. 

The following is a comment from Kit Kennedy, managing director for power at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council): 

“This makes no sense. The order cites no laws and supplies no facts to justify this troubling action.  

“At a time when the administration is calling for new, domestic, and affordable energy, the Interior Department is stepping in to halt a key clean energy project that could deliver the power we need all while creating good jobs for New Yorkers.  

“As Governor Hochul rightly noted, the federal government should be supporting projects that bring more abundant, affordable energy to New York, not standing in their way.

“With its actions over the past few weeks, the administration has it exactly backward: It’s clearing the way for coal plants to pollute more, loggers to get free rein in national forests and drillers to get their pick of the litter on public lands—and then stepping in here to halt clean, domestic wind energy for no good reason.” 

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).