Trump Lifts Pause on NY Offshore Wind Project, But Does it Come at a Price?

While politicians environmental groups and union leaders rejoiced that Empire Wind can move forward various worry the Trump administration s concession is meant to pressure Gov Hochul to approve local gas pipeline projects Gov Kathy Hochul at a press conference about offshore wind opportunities in Flickr Governor Kathy Hochul The U S Bureau of Ocean Resource Management BOEM lifted a month-long stop work order Monday on the New York-based offshore wind project Empire Wind Although it took years to secure federal approvals for the venture on April the Trump administration had halted work on the project claiming the approval process had been rushed But Empire Wind was set to power homes in New York City with clean power and create more than union jobs in New York communities leading environmental groups and politicians to push back on the federal hold I fought to save clean force jobs in New York and we got it done Gov Kathy Hochul announced in a announcement this week The governor was on the phone with President Donald Trump three times over the weekend for over an hour each time fighting to bring the project back her Deputy Communications Director Paul DeMichele described City Limits Although environmentalists applaud the governor s effort it s also spurred speculation that Hochul may have struck a deal with the administration to bring more gas into the state in exchange for lifting the stop-work order President Trump reported earlier this year that he needed to revive fracked gas projects like the Constitution Pipeline a major venture by the Williams company that sought to carriage fracked gas from Pennsylvania to the Southern tier of New York New York State rejected permits for the project in and the company pulled out of the venture in I am encouraged by Governor Hochul s comments about her willingness to move forward on critical pipeline quota Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum who ordered Empire Wind s pause mentioned on the social media platform X hours after the administration agreed to resume the project But the governor s office explained City Limits the social media nod did not mean they agreed to approve any projects in return DeMichele certified that during lengthy conversations with Trump over the weekend gas pipeline projects were brought up but mentioned no deal on any natural gas pipeline was reached However Hochul s office disclosed the governor is not opposed to pipeline projects more generally as long as they have undergone the necessary permitting processes issued by the state personnel New York will work with the Administration and private entities on new force projects that meet the legal requirements under New York law the governor reported in a announcement Environmental groups warn that new gas pipeline projects would usher in more planet-warming emissions into the state accelerating the impacts of state change But utility companies and particular experts argue that added gas supply is necessary saying there still isn t enough clean power available to heat New York homes especially in the winter The South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park is being revived as an operation and maintenance hub for the Empire Wind project Adi Talwar for City Limits So much at stake Putting Empire Wind on hold would have dealt a blow to New York s local economies City Limits released earlier this month The project BOEM projects will generate million in income for New York City and inject billion into the state-wide business activity during the planning and construction phases according to developer Equinor It also seeks to breathe new life into the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal SBMT an industrial port in Sunset Park that serves as an operational and maintenance hub for Empire Wind and other offshore ventures The project ushered in business to the industrial zone which has long been overlooked for economic funding into what the city calls a prime destination for environmentally sustainable industry A Project Labor Agreement PLA that Equinor signed for the construction of SBMT guaranteed over union construction jobs and apprenticeships in local New York communities The agreement prioritizes hiring union members from the Sunset Park district and secondarily union members from New York City It also gives hiring priority to union members who are NYCHA residents and veterans There was so much at stake for the renewable ability industry the union employees who would be performing the work and the opportunities for the surrounding communities to participate in the project disclosed Christopher Erikson in a announcement Erikson is business manager at Local Union No IBEW representing the workers at Sunset Park s marine terminal Despite its reversal on Empire Wind the Trump administration disclosed it s still reconsidering a federal grant to build an onshore and offshore wind safety training facility un upstate New York And an executive order that suspended new leasing and permitting for wind projects is still at large Raking in record donations from the fossil fuel industry while running for office Trump has continuously positioned himself against non-polluting renewable power sources like wind and has encouraged drilling for more oil and gas instead At the same time environmental groups worry Gov Hochul s commitment to significantly lowering New York s greenhouse gas emissions may be waning citing the state s approval of another pipeline expansion project earlier this year The decision is out of step with New York s Environment Leadership and Neighborhood Protection Act they argue The CLCPA passed by Albany in established a roadmap for the state to mostly phase out planet-warming fossil fuels like gas by and transition to clean strength instead We and others will fight tooth and nail to stop new fracked gas pipelines the state already rejected if Hochul is doing a deal to approve those Hell no to that commented Pete Sikora conditions and inequality campaigns director with New York Communities for Change To reach the reporter behind this story contact Mariana citylimits org To reach the editor contact Jeanmarie citylimits org Want to republish this story Find City Limits reprint procedures here The post Trump Lifts Pause on NY Offshore Wind Project But Does it Come at a Price appeared first on City Limits