Trump Policy Turnaround, Resumption of Large Offshore Wind Project in New York

AFP, New York, April 20 -- The previous order from the Trump administration to halt a large offshore wind project by Norwegian state-owned oil company in the New York area has been rescinded. American officials confirmed today that the Trump administration has withdrawn this decision.

The spokesperson for the U.S. Department of the Interior confirmed today that the stop-work order for the Empire Wind wind power project has been lifted.

New York Governor Hochul and Equinor (Norwegian state-owned oil company) announced the policy change in a joint statement last night, stating that after one month of suspension, the company's large-scale project, Empire Wind, located off the coast of New York, can resume construction.

A spokesperson for Equinor told AFP last week that if a solution is not found soon, the company may abandon the project.

Trump has repeatedly expressed opposition to wind power, claiming that wind turbines are both ugly and dangerous. Shortly after returning to the White House in January, he signed a series of executive orders targeting this industry, including temporarily freezing federal government permits and loans for offshore and onshore wind projects.

Secretary of the Interior Burwell announced in mid-April that the Department of the Interior would immediately order the "halt" of the Empire Wind project, stating that officials from the previous Biden administration had not "adequately analyzed" this plan.

Burwell did not mention the Empire Wind project in a social media post last night but praised Governor Hochul for "willingness to increase the capacity of key (natural gas) pipelines."

Bloomberg News reported that the Trump administration and Hochul have reached an agreement, and he may allow the construction of new natural gas pipelines in New York State.

Governor Hochul released a statement thanking Trump, emphasizing the importance of this project for employment and clean energy.

Equinor estimates that the Empire Wind 1 project is worth $2.5 billion, with plans to build 54 turbines to deliver 810 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Brooklyn, New York, powering 500,000 households.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832732828057737/

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