Empire Wind will resume construction off the coast of New York, after a federal judge on Thursday temporarily lifted the Trump administration’s suspension of the project.
The preliminary injunction issued by Judge Carl J. Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is the latest setback for President Donald Trump’s efforts to stop offshore wind projects.
Equinor, the Norwegian company developing Empire Wind, said it “will now focus on safely restarting construction activities that were halted during the suspension period.”
“In addition, the project will continue to engage with the U.S. government to ensure the safe, secure and responsible execution of its operations,” Equinor said in a statement Thursday.
The Department of Interior halted five wind projects off the East Coast, including Empire Wind, on Dec. 22 claiming national security concerns. Equinor in its lawsuit called the suspension “the latest unlawful action” by the Trump administration against the development of offshore wind.
