Federal judge clears New York offshore wind project to resume construction
Judge Carl J. Nichols lifted the Trump administration's suspension of Empire Wind, allowing the Norwegian-owned project to proceed while he considers the government's order.
35 min ago
A federal judge Thursday cleared the way for a New York offshore wind project to resume construction, ruling that the developer could proceed while the court considers the merits of a Trump administration order to suspend the project.
District Judge Carl J. Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a preliminary injunction allowing Empire Wind to restart work. Judge Nichols, an appointee of President Donald Trump, faulted the government for not responding to key points in the developer's court filings, including the contention that the administration violated proper procedure.
Equinor, the Norwegian company developing Empire Wind, said it welcomed the court's decision and would now focus on safely restarting construction activities that were halted during the suspension period. A company spokesperson said the project will continue to engage with the U.S. government to ensure the safe, secure and responsible execution of its operations.
The developer had argued that the Trump administration's order to pause the project would likely kill it in a matter of days. The preliminary injunction allows construction to proceed while Judge Nichols considers the full merits of the government's suspension order.
The Trump administration froze five major offshore wind projects on the East Coast days before Christmas, citing national security concerns. This ruling marks the second developer to prevail in court against the administration this week on offshore wind matters.
Trump has targeted offshore wind from his first days back in the White House, most recently calling wind farms "losers" that lose money and destroy the landscape.