Letitia James Calls Interior Department’s Offshore Wind Halt Arbitrary and Unwarranted
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed suit Friday against the Trump administration over its decision to halt two major offshore wind projects off Long Island that are expected to power more than 1 million homes statewide.
In legal challenges filed in federal court in Washington, James argued that a Dec. 22 stop-work order issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior was arbitrary and unjustified. The order suspended construction on multiple offshore wind projects, citing national security concerns related to potential radar interference.
James said the Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind projects had already undergone more than a decade of security, environmental, and safety reviews by federal, state, and local authorities. Halting construction at this stage, she said, threatens New York’s energy reliability, economic growth, and long-term climate goals. She asked the court to step in and lift the suspension.
“New Yorkers deserve clean, reliable energy, good-paying jobs, and a government that follows the law,” James said in a statement. “This reckless decision puts workers, families, and our climate goals at risk.”
Spokespersons for the Interior Department and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, both named in the lawsuit, declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.
The Interior Department maintains that the movement of massive offshore turbine blades can create radar “clutter,” potentially obscuring legitimate targets and producing false signals. The Dec. 22 order halted Sunrise Wind, Empire Wind, and three other offshore wind projects currently under construction along the East Coast.
Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized offshore wind development, calling it costly, unattractive, and harmful to wildlife, while continuing to push fossil fuels as the preferred source for electricity production.
Empire Wind, located about 14 miles southeast of Long Island, is projected to supply electricity to more than 500,000 homes. Equinor, which is developing the project, has said construction is roughly 60% complete. Sunrise Wind, located about 30 miles east of Montauk, is expected to power approximately 600,000 homes and is about 45% complete, according to developer Ørsted.
Both companies have filed their own legal challenges to the federal order. The states of Connecticut and Rhode Island have also brought lawsuits seeking to block the suspension.
James has been at the forefront of broader legal efforts opposing the administration’s approach to wind energy. She previously led a coalition of attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., in challenging a Trump executive order that paused approvals, permits, and loans for all wind energy projects nationwide.
Last month, a federal judge in Massachusetts sided with the coalition and vacated that January 2025 order. Within days, however, the Trump administration issued the new stop-work directive affecting offshore wind projects along the East Coast.
