New York must keep building its energy infrastructure

We’ve heard it from the highest levels of government: The United States is in an energy emergency. If that’s true — and I believe it is — we need to act like it. That means accelerating the build-out of the infrastructure that powers our homes, fuels our economy, and supports our climate goals. It means green-lighting energy projects — from wind turbines off our coast to pipelines under our feet.

We need it all, and we need it now! That’s what an all-of-the-above energy strategy means.

But lately, “all-of-the-above” is sounding more like “either-or,” depending on who’s in charge and which energy source is politically popular that day. That’s not a plan. That’s a problem.

Today, we’re seeing just how committed our leaders are to the energy future they’ve promised. The Trump administration’s Interior Department issued a stop work order for reasons still not clear that brought the fully-permitted Empire Wind offshore wind farm — a $2.7 billion project that was 30% complete — to a standstill. The project had already revitalized the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and put more than 1,000 union workers on the job. Eleven vessels prepared to support the project now sit idled — just one indicator of the economic momentum and supply chain activity Empire Wind was generating across the country.

Unless meaningful progress is made in the coming days, the entire project could be canceled. That would be a devastating setback — not just for Empire Wind, but for every worker, business, and community counting on it.

We can’t meet today’s challenges by saying no to everything. When projects are approved, then paused, when permits are issued and then pulled, we lose union jobs, critical investment, and public trust. The Constitution and NESE pipelines are two examples of shovel-ready energy projects that were sidelined — costing jobs, wasting investment, and putting our energy future further out of reach.

This moment demands clarity, commitment, and a both-and approach that marries the priorities New York voters have endorsed at the ballot box with the energy agenda coming out of Washington. We need pipelines to deliver reliable natural gas for homes, businesses, and industry, especially during cold winters when demand spikes. We also need offshore wind to bring clean, renewable energy onto the grid and drive down emissions over the long term. We need storage, solar, carbon capture, grid upgrades — all of it. Not in sequence; in parallel.

We urgently call on the Trump administration and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to end the stop-work order on Empire Wind — before it’s too late. Then let’s go further: Eliminate unnecessary barriers, advance permitted projects, and deliver on the promises made to workers, developers, and communities across the country. We are asking Gov. Kathy Hochul to do her part to grant approval for the pipelines.

The stakes are too high to stall. Our communities depend on affordable, reliable energy. Our state’s climate goals depend on bold investment. Our economy depends on creating and sustaining good union jobs with apprenticeship programs in the energy sector. Across the state, skilled workers are trained and ready. We aren’t interested in political fights. We’re interested in jobs, progress, and delivering economic prosperity for the communities we call home.

New York has always been a place that rises to the moment, a state that builds, invests in workers and leads when it matters most. Put skilled workers on the job. Put projects back on track. Put this country on the path to energy security, one pipeline and one turbine at a time.

This guest essay reflects the views of Matthew Aracich, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau & Suffolk Counties.