Empire Wind files suit against federal government, challenging wind project stoppage * Brooklyn Paper

"Citing "national security risks identified by the Department of War in recently completed classified reports," Empire Leaseholder LLC filed a preliminary injunction in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last week, challenging the U.S. Department of the Interior's order to suspend the project. Noting immediate and irreparable harm from the suspension order, Empire is seeking a court order that would allow construction to continue while the litigation proceeds, requesting "expedited consideration" by the Court."

"After the Trump administration's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management paused the lease for five wind farms under construction off the East Coast - including Empire Wind 1 - for the second time in a year, Empire has filed suit against the federal government in an effort to reinstate the project. Empire Wind 1, set to be New York City's largest offshore wind farm, would be constructed off the southern shore of Long Island, with a maintenance and operations hub in Sunset Park, and would send 500,000 homes worth of electricity to Brooklyn."

"Without the ability to continue Project construction by January 16, 2026, the Project faces likely termination due to disruption of a tightly choreographed construction schedule dependent on vessels with constrained availability, delay costs, and the existential threat to the Project financing caused by the Suspension Order," the motion states. The motion goes on to say that the threat of the project's termination became even more acute on Jan. 5, when the government decided that ongoing construction activities ensuring the safety of the project were prohibited, even though the suspension order allowed "activities necessary to prevent impact to health, safety, or the environment."

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management paused the lease for five East Coast wind farms, including Empire Wind 1, for the second time in a year. Empire Leaseholder LLC filed a preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court challenging the Department of the Interior's suspension order, citing national security risks identified in classified Department of War reports and requesting expedited consideration. The company warned of immediate and irreparable harm and potential project termination if construction cannot resume by January 16, 2026, due to vessel availability, delay costs, and financing risk. A January 5 decision prohibited ongoing safety-related construction activities despite allowances for necessary health, safety, and environmental protections. Empire Wind 1 would supply electricity for 500,000 homes, be New York City's largest offshore wind farm, sit off southern Long Island, and have an operations hub in Sunset Park; the lease was finalized in March 2017.

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