Offshore wind project cleared to resume as judge blocks Trump pause

A federal judge allowed construction on Equinor’s Empire Wind project to resume while he reviews the administration’s order pausing five East Coast offshore wind projects, finding the government had not addressed key legal points in court filings.

A federal judge has allowed construction on the Empire Wind offshore project to resume while he considers the government’s order to suspend work. District Judge Carl J. Nichols said the government failed to respond to key points in Empire Wind’s court filings about proper procedure. The administration froze five large East Coast offshore wind projects days before Christmas, citing national security concerns. Developers and several states sued to block the pause and have argued the freeze threatens project timelines. Key facts: - Judge Carl J. Nichols permitted construction on Empire Wind to continue while he reviews the administration’s suspension order. - Norwegian company Equinor owns Empire Wind; the article reports the project is about 60% complete and intended to power more than 500,000 homes. - The administration paused five East Coast offshore wind projects on national security grounds, and the judge said the government did not adequately answer key legal points raised by the developer. - Earlier in the week, another judge allowed Orsted’s Revolution Wind project to resume, and other developers have filed or are preparing legal challenges to the pause. Summary: The ruling lets construction continue on a major New York offshore wind project while legal questions about the pause are reviewed, and the article reports Equinor warned the pause threatened the project due to limited specialized vessels and financial losses. Judge Nichols will now consider the merits of the administration’s suspension order, and other paused projects have ongoing or planned court actions. Undetermined at this time.