U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered a halt to construction on Equinor's Empire Wind project off the coast of New York, saying information suggested the Biden…
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered a halt to construction on Equinor's Empire Wind project off the coast of New York, saying information suggested the Biden administration approved it without enough environmental analysis.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Burgum said the information would be reviewed further but did not elaborate on the faults identified.
The sudden order marks a major blow to Norway's Equinor and the nascent U.S. offshore wind industry, which enjoyed substantial support as a part of former President Joe Biden's plan to decarbonize the power grid and combat climate change.
An Equinor spokesperson said the company had received the stop work order from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Interior arm that permits offshore energy projects.
"We will engage directly with BOEM and the Department of Interior to understand the questions raised about the permits we have received from authorities," Equinor said. "We will not comment about the potential consequences until we know more."
Burgum said he had consulted with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the decision. Commerce houses the National Marine Fisheries Service, which is involved in permitting offshore wind facilities.
The Interior department decision stems from a review of offshore wind
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