A massive wind power project off the coast of New York blew past President Trump’s executive order to block or pause all new wind energy leasing in federal waterways — which opponents claim will destroy aquatic life and the commercial fishing industry.
Norway-based Equinor, which already had all the necessary lease and permit approvals from the feds before Trump’s January 20 executive order went into effect, confirmed that it has started construction at the site — laying rock as the foundation for the giant 54 wind turbines — 15 miles off the coast of Long Beach.
Equinor will deliver the power by connecting to Con Edison’s electric grid via a cable link from the ocean floor to the substation at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park.
The “Empire Wind 1″ project — which will power 500,000 homes — has the strong backing from both Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul, in part to help meet the goals of the ambitious state climate change law mandating 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040 and the phasing out of fossil fuels by 2050.
The president has made it clear he’s not a fan of wind power, saying, “We’re not going to do the wind thing. Big, ugly windmills, they ruin your neighborhood.”
“They destroy everything, they’re horrible, the most expensive energy there is,” Trump said.
“They ruin the environment, they kill the birds, they kill the whales.”
The fishing industry also claims offshore wind farms are dangerous hot air.
“The whole fishing industry economy could be lost,” said Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association.
“A comprehensive review from the Trump administration is needed to make fishing great again.”
Commercial fisheries scoop up and reel in scallops, squid and fluke in the area where the wind turbines are being erected.
“We can’t coexist with offshore wind power. It would be like steaming into a death trap,” Brady said.
Offshore wind farms can interfere with navigational radar used by ships and smaller vessels to avoid collisions, posing challenges for safe maritime navigation, a 2022 report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found.
Trump’s executive order bans or restricts new offshore wind farms in federal waterways — but it did not explicitly halt projects that had already been approved with federal leases and permits, as is the case with Equinor’s Empire Wind 1 project.
“This withdrawal temporarily prevents consideration …for any new or renewed wind energy leasing for the purposes of generation of electricity or any other such use derived from the use of wind,” the order states.
But the edict adds, “Nothing in this withdrawal affects rights under existing leases in the withdrawn areas.”
Trump also called for an “immediate review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices.”
The US Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy confirmed that the Empire Wind project got approved under the wire — having received all necessary approvals a year before Trump’s executive order went into effect.
“BOEM approved the Construction and Operations Plan for the Empire Wind project on February 21, 2024, about a year before the Presidential memorandum,” the federal regulatory agency said.
“BOEM is implementing President Trump’s memorandum of January 20, 2025, temporarily withdrawing the Outer Continental Shelf from offshore wind leasing. The memorandum also pauses new or renewed approvals, rights-of-way, permits, leases, or loans for offshore wind projects pending a review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices.”
Brady, the fishing group advocate, said the wind turbines could be seen from the coast line, which Equinor did not dispute.
A rep for the firm said turbine visibility will depend on the weather, activity in the commercial shipping lanes between the lease area and shore and other variables.
Jacob Riis Park in the Gateway Recreational Area, for example, is about 21 miles from the turbine project.
The Equinor spokesman confirmed that construction was underway to build the foundation for the Empire Wind 1 project
“Empire Wind 1 is already under development and will provide a critical source of energy to meet increasing electricity demand. Equinor has secured all necessary federal permits and will continue to comply with those permits,” the rep said.
“Marine operations for Empire Wind 1 resumed this spring, with rock laying taking place this month. Construction continues at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, where more than 1,500 workers are revitalizing the long-neglected port.”
Equinor did not discuss the fate of “Empire Wind 2” — the second phase — of its offshore wind farm, suggesting it will be shelved because of Trump’s executive order.
