OSWA Members respond to the Stop Work Order on Empire Wind in New York

On April 16th, the Department of the Interior issued a stop work order on offshore wind construction activities related to the Empire Wind 1 project. The project, located 15-30 miles off the coast of Long Island, had undergone years of rigorous permitting, environmental studies and assessments to secure its federal, state and local permits and had already begun construction. Empire Wind will power over 500,00 homes, invest over $1.6 billion in New York's economy, and revitalize the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal port, where more than 1,500 workers are already employed. OSWA members released the following statements in response to this action:

“The Interior Department’s misinformed decision to issue a stop work order on the fully permitted Empire Wind project undermines American energy production and will throw cold water on all large infrastructure investments, wind or otherwise" said Evan Vaughan, Executive Director of MAREC Action. " When the government arbitrarily targets an industry, it shuts down motivation for companies to invest billions of dollars on future power generation and threatens states’ abilities to deliver energy reliably to residents."

"Preventing a permitted and financed energy project from moving forward sends a loud and clear message to all businesses - beyond those in the offshore wind industry - that their investment in the U.S. is not safe" said Liz Burdock President & CEO of Oceantic Network. "We urge the Department of Interior to lift this order immediately to restore a predictable and equitable environment for the buildout of critical energy resources that help secure our energy future and independence."