Lawsuit challenges Interior’s offshore wind halt

New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the Trump administration on Friday in federal court in Washington over a decision to halt two major offshore wind projects off Long Island, projects expected to power more than 1 million homes in the state.

In legal challenges filed in federal court, James challenged a U.S. Department of the Interior order dated Dec. 22 that suspended construction on the projects. The order cited national security concerns, and James said it was arbitrary and unwarranted.

James said the Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind projects had already cleared more than a decade of security and safety reviews by federal, state and local authorities. She argued that pausing the projects threatens New York’s economy and energy grid, and she asked the court to intervene.

In a statement, James said, “New Yorkers deserve clean, reliable energy, good-paying jobs, and a government that follows the law.” She added, “This reckless decision puts workers, families, and our climate goals at risk.”

Interior cites radar “clutter” concerns

Spokespersons for the Interior Department and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management declined to comment on Friday, citing the pending litigation.

Interior’s order last month suspended Sunrise Wind, Empire Wind and three other offshore wind projects under construction along the East Coast. The department said the movement of massive turbine blades can cause radar interference it described as “clutter,” which can obscure legitimate moving targets and generate false ones.

The lawsuit comes against a backdrop of Trump dismissing offshore wind developments, describing them as ugly and expensive and raising concerns about wildlife as he pushes fossil fuels over renewable energy for electricity production.

Empire Wind, located about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) southeast of Long Island, is projected to power more than 500,000 homes. The Norwegian company developing the project, Equinor, said it is about 60% complete.

Sunrise Wind is located about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Montauk and is expected to power about 600,000 homes. Orsted, the Danish company developing Sunrise, said the project is roughly 45% complete.

Both developers filed their own legal challenges, along with the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

James previously led a coalition of attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C. in challenging Trump’s executive order that paused approvals, permits and loans for wind energy projects on both onshore and offshore. Last month, a federal judge in Massachusetts sided with the attorneys general and vacated a Jan. 20, 2025, order. Days later, the Trump administration issued the stop-work order on East Coast projects.