A federal judge ruled Thursday that construction on the $5 billion Empire Wind project off the coast of Long Island may resume, dealing a setback to President Donald Trump's broader effort to halt offshore wind development.
U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols said stopping work on the project would likely cause irreparable harm.
The Interior Department had recently paused construction on Empire Wind and four other East Coast offshore wind projects, citing unspecified national security concerns.
Attorneys for Empire Wind argued that further delays could threaten the project's viability, noting that construction is already about 60% complete.
Developer Equinor warned that without an immediate restart, the company risked losing more than $1 billion in contracts and could see a specialized construction vessel redeployed to another project overseas.
"Empire Wind has demonstrated that it will suffer irreparable harm," Nichols wrote in his ruling. Nichols was nominated to the bench by Trump during his first term.
The decision comes as the Trump administration has moved aggressively to curb offshore wind development, arguing that the projects pose risks to national security, maritime navigation, military readiness, and coastal communities.
Trump has repeatedly criticized wind energy, calling wind turbines "environmental disasters" and warning they "kill birds, ruin landscapes, and drive people crazy."
"I'm not going to let these massive windmills destroy our coastlines and our national security," Trump said earlier this year, vowing to block offshore wind expansion where possible through executive action and regulatory review.
Thursday's ruling followed another legal setback earlier in the week, when U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, overturned an Interior Department order halting construction of a separate $6.2 billion offshore wind project serving New England.
During Thursday's hearing, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. questioned Empire Wind's claims that a construction pause would doom the project and disputed the company's assertion that the government's concern was limited to operations rather than construction.
"I don't see the difference," Woodward said, comparing the situation to a nuclear facility deemed a national security threat. "If it threatens national security, the government would oppose its construction and its operation."
The Interior Department has not yet said whether it will appeal Nichols' ruling, but administration officials have signaled that offshore wind projects will continue to face heightened scrutiny under Trump's energy agenda, which prioritizes fossil fuels, nuclear power and domestic energy independence over renewable expansion.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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