Trump administration orders immediate stop to work on wind project near the coast of Long Beach

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered an immediate halt Wednesday to work on a planned offshore wind project near the coast of Long Beach, arguing the Biden administration rushed the approval process.
A memo by Burgum directed Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to direct Norwegian energy developer Equinor to "cease all construction activities on the Empire Wind project" until a review is completed to address "serious deficiencies."
The company plans to erect 54 1,000-foot wind turbines, starting around 15 miles from the shore. The turbines are scheduled to be pile-driven into the seabed in the coming months after Equinor obtained the necessary federal and state approvals.
The Biden administration approved the project in November 2023.
"Approval for the project was rushed through by the prior administration without sufficient analysis or consultation among the relevant agencies as relates to the potential effects from the project," Burgum wrote in the memo.
Last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order preventing agencies from issuing new or renewed wind energy leases for federal waterways, citing "various legal deficiencies," the potential "grave harm" to shipping and fishing interests and the impact on marine mammals and birds.
Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statement Wednesday criticizing the work stoppage.
"This fully federally permitted project has already put shovels in the ground before the president’s executive orders," Hochul wrote. "It’s exactly the type of bipartisan energy solution we should be working on. As governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand."
Burgum's memo came hours after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called on the Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department to launch investigations into whether Equinor used shortcuts to obtain permits and approvals for Empire Wind.
At a news conference in Long Beach with dozens of GOP lawmakers, first responders and community advocates, Blakeman argued the approval process was unfair, hurried and done in a "slipshod way."
The EPA said it is unaware of any agency investigation into the project and the Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.
"How did they obtain those permits?" Blakeman said of Equinor. "Did they go through the proper procedures? Were all the boxes checked? Were the environmental studies done? Is this a problem for navigation? Is this a problem for commercial fishing? Is this a national security issue? Is the Defense Department concerned about these offshore wind turbines that may mask an attack from air or an attack by a submarine? There's a lot of issues out there that haven't been answered ... We are hopeful that the EPA will now be looking at the process where we think there were shortcuts and false information."
An Equinor spokesman Wednesday confirmed that they've received notification from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management regarding the Empire Wind project, which has been in construction since 2024.
"We will engage directly with BOEM and the Department of Interior to understand the questions raised about the permits we have received from authorities," the company said. "We will not comment about the potential consequences until we know more."
Equinor previously told Newsday the company has "received all necessary federal permits for offshore construction and will continue to comply with the requirements of these permits."
The project has already begun work at South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, including for a new operations and maintenance facility and components for a transformer. The project will rely on an undersea cable from a planned wind array 15 miles from Long Beach, where some residents remain staunchly opposed to it.
Equinor originally planned to put its 54 wind turbines on giant concrete foundations, which were to be built near the Port of Albany, shipped down the Hudson River and lowered from boats onto the ocean floor.
But the company decided to use less expensive monopile foundations, which are pounded 197 feet into the seafloor using a massive hammer-type system mounted on a barge. Driving each monopile into the seafloor can take approximately 5,000-7,000 blows, according to an Equinor analysis, an action critics fear could have an environmental impact on marine mammals and other species.
"It's terrible and it needs to stop now," Christina Kramer of Protect Our Coast Long Island NY, an environmental conservation group that has filed numerous objections to the project, said of the project during the news conference.
The New York League of Conservation Voters, which supports Empire Wind, responded in a statement that "the Trump administration is jeopardizing thousands of union jobs, dealing a blow to clean energy, and siding with fossil fuel interests over the health and safety of New Yorkers ... Halting a fully permitted, shovel-ready project of this scale is unconscionable, especially at a time when we urgently need more clean, reliable energy to drive economic development and meet growing demand.
Local officials also railed Wednesday against two proposed lithium-ion battery energy storage sites in Oyster Bay: Jupiter Power's 275-megawatt project in Glenwood Landing and Calpine Corp.'s planned battery site on an industrial plot adjacent to its natural gas and steam plant in Hicksville.
The town this month approved a six-month extension of its existing battery energy storage moratorium that was first implemented in April 2024, stalling progress on either proposal.
Town spokeswoman Marta Kane said Oyster Bay provided preliminary feedback on the 2022 Jupiter Power project but that it hasn't been resubmitted. The town previously denied Calpine's request to be exempt from the moratorium.
Residents have criticized Jupiter Power's $250 million project, arguing it could leave toxic remnants behind if a fire occurred. Company officials insist the project is safe, citing strict new fire safety codes.
Nassau Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro Wednesday said he supports "hitting the pause button on [the projects] until there's better research done, better codes to handle it, and without a doubt, better training for our firefighters."
Garret Gray, a lawyer representing Calpine, contends the company uses different technology than the batteries used at an East Hampton storage site that went on fire in May 2023.
With Joseph Ostapiuk
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered an immediate halt Wednesday to work on a planned offshore wind project near the coast of Long Beach, arguing the Biden administration rushed the approval process.
A memo by Burgum directed Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to direct Norwegian energy developer Equinor to "cease all construction activities on the Empire Wind project" until a review is completed to address "serious deficiencies."
The company plans to erect 54 1,000-foot wind turbines, starting around 15 miles from the shore. The turbines are scheduled to be pile-driven into the seabed in the coming months after Equinor obtained the necessary federal and state approvals.
The Biden administration approved the project in November 2023.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered an immediate halt Wednesday to work on a planned offshore wind project near the coast of Long Beach, arguing the Biden administration rushed the approval process.
- A memo by Burgum directed Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to direct Norwegian energy developer Equinor to "cease all construction activities on the Empire Wind project" until a review is completed to address "serious deficiencies."
- The company plans to erect 54 1,000-foot wind turbines, starting around 15 miles from the shore. The turbines are scheduled to be pile-driven into the seabed in coming months after Equinor obtained the necessary federal and state approvals.
"Approval for the project was rushed through by the prior administration without sufficient analysis or consultation among the relevant agencies as relates to the potential effects from the project," Burgum wrote in the memo.
Last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order preventing agencies from issuing new or renewed wind energy leases for federal waterways, citing "various legal deficiencies," the potential "grave harm" to shipping and fishing interests and the impact on marine mammals and birds.
Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statement Wednesday criticizing the work stoppage.
"This fully federally permitted project has already put shovels in the ground before the president’s executive orders," Hochul wrote. "It’s exactly the type of bipartisan energy solution we should be working on. As governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand."
Burgum's memo came hours after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called on the Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department to launch investigations into whether Equinor used shortcuts to obtain permits and approvals for Empire Wind.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman questioned whether the Norwegian developer of a wind project followed the proper procedures. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
At a news conference in Long Beach with dozens of GOP lawmakers, first responders and community advocates, Blakeman argued the approval process was unfair, hurried and done in a "slipshod way."
The EPA said it is unaware of any agency investigation into the project and the Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.
"How did they obtain those permits?" Blakeman said of Equinor. "Did they go through the proper procedures? Were all the boxes checked? Were the environmental studies done? Is this a problem for navigation? Is this a problem for commercial fishing? Is this a national security issue? Is the Defense Department concerned about these offshore wind turbines that may mask an attack from air or an attack by a submarine? There's a lot of issues out there that haven't been answered ... We are hopeful that the EPA will now be looking at the process where we think there were shortcuts and false information."
An Equinor spokesman Wednesday confirmed that they've received notification from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management regarding the Empire Wind project, which has been in construction since 2024.
"We will engage directly with BOEM and the Department of Interior to understand the questions raised about the permits we have received from authorities," the company said. "We will not comment about the potential consequences until we know more."
Equinor previously told Newsday the company has "received all necessary federal permits for offshore construction and will continue to comply with the requirements of these permits."
Work underway
The project has already begun work at South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, including for a new operations and maintenance facility and components for a transformer. The project will rely on an undersea cable from a planned wind array 15 miles from Long Beach, where some residents remain staunchly opposed to it.
Equinor originally planned to put its 54 wind turbines on giant concrete foundations, which were to be built near the Port of Albany, shipped down the Hudson River and lowered from boats onto the ocean floor.
But the company decided to use less expensive monopile foundations, which are pounded 197 feet into the seafloor using a massive hammer-type system mounted on a barge. Driving each monopile into the seafloor can take approximately 5,000-7,000 blows, according to an Equinor analysis, an action critics fear could have an environmental impact on marine mammals and other species.
"It's terrible and it needs to stop now," Christina Kramer of Protect Our Coast Long Island NY, an environmental conservation group that has filed numerous objections to the project, said of the project during the news conference.
The New York League of Conservation Voters, which supports Empire Wind, responded in a statement that "the Trump administration is jeopardizing thousands of union jobs, dealing a blow to clean energy, and siding with fossil fuel interests over the health and safety of New Yorkers ... Halting a fully permitted, shovel-ready project of this scale is unconscionable, especially at a time when we urgently need more clean, reliable energy to drive economic development and meet growing demand.
Battery storage concerns
Local officials also railed Wednesday against two proposed lithium-ion battery energy storage sites in Oyster Bay: Jupiter Power's 275-megawatt project in Glenwood Landing and Calpine Corp.'s planned battery site on an industrial plot adjacent to its natural gas and steam plant in Hicksville.
The town this month approved a six-month extension of its existing battery energy storage moratorium that was first implemented in April 2024, stalling progress on either proposal.
Town spokeswoman Marta Kane said Oyster Bay provided preliminary feedback on the 2022 Jupiter Power project but that it hasn't been resubmitted. The town previously denied Calpine's request to be exempt from the moratorium.
Residents have criticized Jupiter Power's $250 million project, arguing it could leave toxic remnants behind if a fire occurred. Company officials insist the project is safe, citing strict new fire safety codes.
Nassau Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro Wednesday said he supports "hitting the pause button on [the projects] until there's better research done, better codes to handle it, and without a doubt, better training for our firefighters."
Garret Gray, a lawyer representing Calpine, contends the company uses different technology than the batteries used at an East Hampton storage site that went on fire in May 2023.
With Joseph Ostapiuk
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