Interior Secretary Doug Burgum paused the construction of the Empire Wind Project in New York as part of the administration’s latest salvo against the wind industry. 

Burgum announced Wednesday on X that, in consultation with the Commerce Department, he is directing the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to immediately halt all construction activities on the Empire Wind Project, a major development south of Long Island. Burgum added that the project would undergo further permitting review because the Biden administration seemed to have rushed through the approval. 

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Norwegian company Equinor is building the Empire Wind Project, which was slated to begin operations in 2026 and be fully operational by 2027. The Biden administration approved the project in November 2023, and BOEM approved construction in 2024. 

“[A]pproval 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 in a memo obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. 

“This halt is to remain in effect until further review is completed to address these serious deficiencies,” Burgum added. 

The Empire Wind Project comprises two offshore wind farms: Empire 1 in New York and Empire 2 in New Jersey. The projects combined were planned to provide more than 2 megawatts of power, which could supply energy to about 700,000 homes. The Department of the Interior has only targeted the Empire 1 project. 

“This fully federally permitted project has already put shovels in the ground before the President’s executive orders — it’s exactly the type of bipartisan energy solution we should be working on,” Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) said in response.

“As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future,” Hochul added. 

President Donald Trump has set his sights on the wind industry. On his first day back in office, he signed an executive order pausing offshore wind lease sales and any new approvals, permits, leases, or loans for wind projects, both on and offshore. Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency also revoked the air permit for a 1.5 gigawatt wind project in New Jersey. 

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“Today’s actions by the U.S. government mark an unfortunate setback for an industry that’s ready to drive American energy dominance forward,” Hillary Bright, the executive director of the offshore wind advocacy group Turn Forward, said in a statement.

“Offshore wind’s unique strategic advantage lies in its ability to supply massive amounts of utility-scale power to populous coastal areas with limited alternatives — and to do so within the next few years,” Bright said. “The widening gap between rising electricity demand and available energy supply poses a serious threat to economic growth. Offshore wind offers viable, shovel-ready projects that help close that gap. It is in our clear national interest to boost the deployment of valuable energy resources like offshore wind.”