Oooh, wasn't there some more welcome news on the Green grifting front yesterday. 

Back in January, even as Trump had already expressed his opposition to renewable energy in general and his disgust with the wind industry in particular, Governor Kathy Hochul of New York, in concert with the Biden administration's last minute dash to shove big Green grifting bucks and project approvals out the door, gave their final blessing to something called 'Empire Wind.' 

On an 80,000-acre (125 sq mi) lease 15 miles southeast of Long Island, Norwegian energy company Equinor was going to drop the first offshore wind farm connected directly to the Big Apple's grid. All for the bargain price of $3B.

What was not a bargain were the rates the company locked in with the state of NY before a single survey had been done - they were going to be twice the national average.

...NYC's new clean energy project will cost significantly more.

Equinor, the developer behind Empire Wind 1, secured an 80,000-acre (125-square-mile / 32,375-ha) lease located 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Long Island. Along with the lease, the company locked in a contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to deliver power at a strike price of $155 per megawatt-hour over the next 25 years – nearly double the national average, and roughly the typical 20 to 25-year life expectancy for a sea-faring wind turbine. High winds, constant motion from waves, and harsh saltwater corrosion are the leading causes of shortened shelf life.

Along with the cost shock, the fierce and vociferous objections from fishermen, residents, wildlife activists, and wind opponents (who have all gotten better organized and more sophisticated doing battle with Biden and the wind industry mafia) meant Empire Wind, despite all blessings from the fading regime, had a fight on its hands.

Anticipating rough weather, the wind farm developers picked up the pace and started getting crap out to the site as quickly as they could. 

Offshore Wind is Full Speed Ahead Off NY & NJ—But WHY? Empire Wind 1 is pushing forward with the construction of 54 massive wind turbines and a substation. If offshore wind is facing major roadblocks, how is THIS still charging ahead? Who’s making the calls—and why aren’t they… pic.twitter.com/3DjDKeMZWw

— SaveLBI (@saveLBIorg) April 2, 2025

New Jersey Congressmen Jeff Drew and Chris Smith were outraged at Equinor's actions in the face of President Trump's pretty succinct Executive Order, which paused approvals for new farms until their original initial review process could be thoroughly reexamined.

Rep. Smith: Empire Wind starting construction before Pres. Trump’s critical reassessment of offshore wind is dangerous & reckless

In a letter to Secretary of the Interior Burgum, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) is bringing attention to defiant plans of wind turbine developer Equinor to… pic.twitter.com/2o7xHtOj54

— Protect Our Coast NJ (@njcoast_protect) April 1, 2025

...In a letter to Secretary of the Interior Burgum, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) is bringing attention to defiant plans of wind turbine developer Equinor to begin construction on an offshore wind project off the coast of New Jersey and New York despite President Trump’s January 20th executive order which paused new approvals for offshore wind farms until the Trump Administration can perform greater scrutiny. 

“Equinor, a Norwegian multinational energy company, announced its intent to begin subsea rock installation within the Empire Wind 1 Lease area as soon as this April,” Smith said. “This announcement comes despite President Trump’s order which specifically references the need to examine shortcomings in the approval process for offshore wind, including potential inadequacies in various environmental reviews.” 

“It’s an alarming development that flies in the face of the comprehensive review of offshore wind ordered by President Trump in his January 20th executive order. The Norwegian company’s intention here is clear,” Smith added, “it is trying to push through its questionable project based on the rubber-stamp approval received from the Biden Administration.” Smith said that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process under the Biden Administration, when Empire Wind was approved, was “completely inadequate” and failed to answer critical questions related to national security, environmental health, and the economic wellbeing of nearby communities. The results, he said, could be “catastrophic,” disrupting some of the nation’s busiest waters and negatively affecting important radar systems. 

Smith noted that BOEM has never supplied a compelling argument for mitigation on a slew of problems offshore wind is expected to create in the Northeast region. For years, Smith has been pointing out the lack of serious scrutiny and proper environmental vetting, as well as the legal deficiency of these projects, fighting to secure answers from the Biden Administration. Last Congress, Smith wrote legislation—which was passed by the House of Representatives in July 2023—that would require presidential certification that offshore wind projects would not “weaken, degrade, interfere with, or nullify the capability of radar relied upon by the Federal Aviation Administration or the Armed Forces.”...

It was almost as if Equinor heard a clock ticking or something. The company was surreptitiously frantic in their efforts to get materials into the water.

... Last week, Equinor quietly initiated construction on Empire Wind off of New York's coast, stating in a little-noticed filing that rock installation around the project's underwater turbine bases would begin later this month, the first step in erecting 54 wind turbines, Canary Media first reported.

Equinor separately issued an internal construction update, stating that underwater robots and human divers had been deployed to help initiate construction.

Those developments caused some critics of offshore wind to raise the alarm and call on the Trump administration to intervene.

🚨HAPPENING NOW: The Netherlands-flagged Nordnes is dropping rocks 19 miles off Monmouth County, NJ—prepping the seabed for 54 massive wind turbines at the 80,000-acre Empire Wind site. Marine life is in the crosshairs. #SaveOurOcean
Stop the destruction! @SecretaryBurgum… pic.twitter.com/KxAcCBXgVa

— SaveLBI (@saveLBIorg) April 13, 2025

DING DING DING

Out of nowhere, a bell suddenly rang, and Equinor's time was up. It turned out to be the signal to put down all the turbine tools.

ALL OF THEM

Secretary Burgum had some words to share with the developers.

The Trump administration is halting construction of a massive offshore wind project being built in federal waters off the coast of New York and ordering a sprawling review of existing offshore wind permits, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Wednesday to order foreign energy developer Equinor to cease all construction activities on its Empire Wind project, according to a memorandum obtained by the Free Beacon. Burgum said the Biden administration green-lit permits for the project and ultimately approved it without conducting proper analysis.

"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. He said the halt on Empire Wind will be in effect indefinitely until further review is completed to "address these serious deficiencies."

Burgum additionally ordered Interior Department staff to continue a review of federal wind permitting practices related to both existing and pending permits and approvals.

Oh, yeah, buddy.

The united Empire Wind foes, from fisherfolk to congressmen and everyone in between, who had all worked so tirelessly for this moment, took immediate victory laps.

Big offshore wind victory today.

Empire Wind off the coast of NJ and NY is going to be ordered to HALT all construction activities.

I am proud to have worked with President Trump’s cabinet to expose the Biden administration’s faulty permitting process.https://t.co/CUKTE1vOl2

— Congressman Jeff Van Drew (@Congressman_JVD) April 16, 2025

🚨@SecretaryBurgum has halted the Empire Wind Project, saying the Biden administration rushed the approval of the permits.

We're grateful to the Trump administration for prioritizing the environment over disastrous offshore wind. pic.twitter.com/YlU64punQH

— NE Fishermen's Stewardship Assoc. (@fishstewardship) April 16, 2025

While climate cultists and industry advocates went into delicious swoons of doom and despair.

Stopping work on a huge wind farm off New York's coast that is already under construction will send a chilling message to developers and financiers of renewable projects, @liamdenning says https://t.co/2QuTkU4vwF

— Bloomberg (@business) April 17, 2025

GLOOM, DESPAIR, AND AGONY ON ME

New Yorkers should be kissing the ground Burgum walks on.

— tree hugging s*ster 🎃 (@WelbornBeege) April 17, 2025

As much as I cracked on Doug Burgum as a presidential candidate, he is going gangbusters as Interior Secretary and is proving to be another of Trump's inspired picks. All I can say is molto well done to him.

As for the offshore waters South of Long Island, I hope the folks really enjoy them now.

Things are always better savored when you realize what you almost lost.