Favoring his oil producing financial supporters, Trumps stops a project that will generate power for 500,000 homes in NYC.
At the completion of the construction in 2027, this 810-megawatt Empire Wind 1 farm is expected to generate enough power for 500,000 homes in the New York City area and nine gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2035.
Trump’s executive order halting alternative energy in favor of his friends in the fossil fuel industry could set back our nation decades. Favoritism to those in the coal mine and oil businesses that contributed to his campaign. “Drill, baby, drill” with few or no environmental rules in return for millions of dollars in campaign cash. In his phony letter announcing the halt, Trump Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whose agency regulates offshore construction, said there were unspecified problems with the project the Biden administration “rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis.”
The construction and supply chain of this wind farm in New York project would generate about 3,500 union jobs.
“The reckless and overreaching move to halt construction already underway on Empire Wind 1 threatens thousands of good union jobs and jeopardizes the progress New York has made toward cleaner, more affordable energy,” said New York City Central Labor Council President Vincent Alvarez . The NYC labor movement opposes this short-sighted and harmful decision politicizing the buildout of clean energy infrastructure that is critically needed to stabilize and reduce energy costs for working families across New York,” continued Alvarez.
NYS Governor Kathy Hochul said that “At a time when energy demand and utility bills are rising across New York, we need to build more energy, not less. Offshore wind and other clean energy projects are creating much-needed energy, while supporting high-quality union jobs and providing a boon to local economies. New York must stay the course to build diverse energy infrastructure and create the middle-class jobs our state needs.”
With Trump moving the country backward, there are thousands of jobs in the offshore wind sector across our country now in jeopardy if projects are stalled. Offshore wind continues to deliver great, union jobs and economic benefits for communities throughout this country. From offshore construction to port work to manufacturing, there are thousands of jobs in the offshore wind sector and support services across the USA that are now in jeopardy because of the Trump administration.
