The administration of Donald Trump is making an unbridled push to block renewable energy projects—including last week halting the placement of 54 wind turbines in the ocean south of Long Island, New York—and is pushing fossil fuels, among them coal. The burning of fossil fuels is the leading cause of climate change. Trump has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax.”
The Trump administration’s stop work order blocking construction of the Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project off the coast of Long Beach raised concerns over the fate of Sunrise Wind off Montauk.
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s order to stop work on Empire Wind 1’s 54 turbines on April 16 triggered protests in Nassau County as Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed to reverse the decision. But given the unpredictable nature of President Donald Trump, it remained an open question if the Sunrise Wind project might be next on the chopping block.
Adrienne Esposito, the founder and longtime leader of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, has been launching new coalitions to further her environmental cause. One is Wind Works New York, whose diverse members are transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Another is the New York Clean Water Coalition, made up of water suppliers, wastewater treatment operators and environmental groups advocating for funding to upgrade sewage and drinking water infrastructure. Late last year, Esposito criticized the governor’s veto of the state Horseshoe Crab Protection Act, arguing that the species is subject to local extinction.
Advocates gathered on the front lawn of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building for an Earth Day rally to challenge recent federal actions that have halted the Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project.
Organizations present included Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Renewable Energy Long Island, the New York League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resource Defense Council, Local Union 3 IBEW, Local Union 806, Local Union 290, Climate Jobs New York, the National Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club Long Island group, All our Energy, the Long Island Progressive Coalition, Minority Millennials and Vision Long Island
DATE: Monday, May 19, 2025
CONTACT: Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, 631-384-1378, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org
Farmingdale, NY – Last month, the Trump Administration announced a stop work order on Empire Wind 1 – the offshore wind farm being built off the coast of Long Beach which would have powered 500,000 homes in NYC. The project was already under construction, creating significant investment in local communities and hundreds of union jobs in support of the growing “wind-ustry” in NY. In response, New York State along with environmental and labor groups have pushed the Administration to reverse the decision and allow Empire Wind to go ahead. The Trump Administration has now lifted the stop-work order. This means New Yorkers will still benefit from green jobs, NY communities will have cleaner air, and we will continue to build clean domestic energy off our coast.
Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment, issued the following statement.
“Empire Wind make a comeback – may the wind force be with you! We are thrilled and I may do a cartwheel! This is cause for celebration and signifies that when all parties come together to discuss important issues that common ground can be reached. This is a huge milestone in the fight for clean energy, clean air and a diversified energy plan. The Empire Wind project provides a significant boost to our emerging ‘wind-ustry’ and our clean energy future. This is a crucial project that benefits everyday New Yorkers by creating good jobs, bolsters the local economy, advances domestic energy, reduces air pollution, and protects public health. We are grateful to all who were involved including Governor Hochul and Congressman Garbarino.”
A major wind farm project slated to begin off the coast of Long Island that is said to power 500,000 homes was halted after an order from U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.
Burgum directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Wednesday to halt construction on Empire Wind, a fully-permitted project. He called for further review, saying the Biden administration rushed the approval.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has ordered a halt to an offshore wind project off the coast of Long Island, making good on an executive order from President Donald Trump in January that put a moratorium on new or upcoming offshore wind projects.
Approximately 300 students from 17 local high schools and at least one middle school gathered April 4 for the first Long Island Youth Climate Summit at Stony Brook University. Organized by Students for Climate Action and Renewable Energy Long Island, the event centered on environmental education and advocacy, with students encouraged to get involved with grassroots.
Smith Point's Park Beach is where offshore wind energy will soon come ashore. Crews there are laying cables for New York's second wind farm with 84 turbines 30 miles off Montauk.
"We have this untapped renewable resource, the wind... this is going to power millions of homes... with almost zero fossil fuel use," Melissa Parrot, executive director of Renewable Energy Long Island said. "The planet is at sake. We see the glaciers melting... you see the storms, you see the floods... and the number one way to curb climate change is top stop our CO2 output, which is fossil fuel use."
President Donald Trump’s wild-card pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency has emerged as one of the most devoted public champions for his efforts to demolish the Biden agenda — and MAGA world is taking notice.
He once talked about the need to fight climate change. Now, he embraces Elon Musk, lavishes praise on the president and strives to stand out in a MAGA world.
When President Trump’s cabinet secretaries clashed with Elon Musk this month over the billionaire’s chain saw approach to shrinking government, Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, made it clear where he stood.
Northern states are depending on imported Canadian hydropower to clean up their grids. What happens now?
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump initiated a trade war with Canada and Mexico, America’s two largest trading partners. Following through on weeks of threats, he imposed 25 percent tariffs on imported goods from Mexico and Canada and a lower 10 percent tariff on imports of Canadian energy resources. (Update, Thursday, March 6: Trump has announced a one-month delay on the tariffs on most Mexican and some Canadian goods.)
WASHINGTON — EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has begun to do what President Donald Trump wanted to do in his first term but couldn’t: Shrink the Environmental Protection Agency and cut its regulations on energy and business.
In his first month on the job, Zeldin, a former Long Island congressman, has spoken less about protecting the environment in interviews and on social media than he has about his mission to "unleash energy dominance."
