Opponents of offshore wind have filed a lawsuit seeking to halt Equinor’s 810-megawatt (MW) Empire Wind project after the U.S. Department of the Interior reversed a stop-work order, allowing construction to proceed, according to court documents filed this week.
The suit, lodged in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, challenges the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), arguing that the May 19 decision to lift the April 16 stop-work order was “arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable.”
The plaintiffs, which include anti-offshore wind groups and fishing industry organisations, contend that the reversal violates the Administrative Procedure Act by “failing to offer a factual basis for the reinstatement,” and they are seeking to restore the original stop-work order.
Construction on Empire Wind resumed last month after the Biden administration reversed the Trump-era pause on the project.
The lawsuit reflects ongoing tensions between offshore wind development and stakeholder groups concerned about environmental and economic impacts.
