Based on and excerpted from an article by Beege Welborn at HotAir

With a clear grasp of both the policy mechanics and the public frustration behind them, Welborn outlines a story that encapsulates much of what’s wrong with our current approach to green energy development.

The Empire Wind Scheme

Empire Wind 1, pushed by Norwegian energy firm Equinor with the full backing of New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul and the Biden administration, was intended to be a showcase for offshore wind. Instead, it showcased something else entirely: how to push through a $3 billion project with double the national average energy costs and virtually no comprehensive review.

Welborn lays it out clearly:

“What was not a bargain were the rates the company locked in with the state of NY before a single survey had been done—they were going to be twice the national average.”​

https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2025/04/17/burgum-takes-the-wind-out-of-the-empire-states-plans-n3801885#google_vignette

From environmental impacts to national security risks to economic irrationality, Empire Wind had it all—yet the project barreled ahead.

Executive Action and Bureaucratic Course Correction

President Trump’s January 20 executive order called for a pause and reassessment of offshore wind projects—a direct response to the rushed approvals and dubious oversight seen under the previous administration.

Equinor, apparently eager to get ahead of that review, jumped the gun. They began construction efforts offshore, quietly deploying ships and robotic equipment to lay the groundwork for their turbine bases.

New Jersey Congressmen Jeff Drew and Chris Smith were outraged at Equinor’s actions in the face of President Trump’s pretty succinct Executive Order, which paused approvals for new farms until their original initial review process could be thoroughly reexamined.

https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2025/04/17/burgum-takes-the-wind-out-of-the-empire-states-plans-n3801885#google_vignette

“Out of nowhere, a bell suddenly rang, and Equinor’s time was up.”

https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2025/04/17/burgum-takes-the-wind-out-of-the-empire-states-plans-n3801885#google_vignette

That bell came in the form of Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, who ordered an immediate halt to all Empire Wind construction. Burgum cited deficiencies in the permitting process and a lack of consultation among federal agencies, calling the Biden-era greenlight “rushed” and analytically insufficient​.

The Trump administration is halting construction of a massive offshore wind project being built in federal waters off the coast of New York and ordering a sprawling review of existing offshore wind permits, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Wednesday to order foreign energy developer Equinor to cease all construction activities on its Empire Wind project, according to a memorandum obtained by the Free Beacon. Burgum said the Biden administration green-lit permits for the project and ultimately approved it without conducting proper analysis.

“Approval 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. He said the halt on Empire Wind will be in effect indefinitely until further review is completed to “address these serious deficiencies.”

Burgum additionally ordered Interior Department staff to continue a review of federal wind permitting practices related to both existing and pending permits and approvals.

A Coalition of Common Sense

The resistance to Empire Wind wasn’t isolated to a few concerned locals. It was a broad coalition—commercial fishermen, legal advocates, radar and defense experts, and elected officials—who consistently raised concerns about environmental harm, economic waste, and procedural shortcuts.

Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey summed up the concern:

“It’s an alarming development… NEPA review process under the Biden Administration… was completely inadequate.”​

https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2025/04/17/burgum-takes-the-wind-out-of-the-empire-states-plans-n3801885#google_vignette

And Rep. Jeff Van Drew called the project’s halt “a big offshore wind victory,” citing his collaboration with the Trump administration to bring these issues to light​.

While climate cultists and industry advocates went into delicious swoons of doom and despair.

https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2025/04/17/burgum-takes-the-wind-out-of-the-empire-states-plans-n3801885#google_vignette

The Empire Wind saga is a reminder of why process matters. Energy infrastructure—particularly projects with national security, environmental, and economic implications—cannot be waved through without scrutiny. Enthusiasm for projects should never override the need for transparency, due diligence, and cost-benefit analysis.

Thanks to the Trump administration’s intervention and the vigilance of critics across the spectrum, the brakes have been applied to a project that had all the signs of a bureaucratic runaway train.

And thanks to journalists like Beege Welborn, the public is better informed about what’s really going on behind the green curtain.