NY's wind power goals ‘impossible in the near term’ due to Trump, state says

New York’s wind power goals are “impossible in the near term,” the state energy regulator said Thursday, halting plans to build transmission lines that had been in the works for two years.

The Public Service Commission cited “the significant federal uncertainty” due to President Donald Trump’s pause on permits for all offshore wind projects. The commission had been developing plans to lay transmission lines with capacity to deliver offshore wind power to serve as many as 5 million homes downstate.

“We will continue to press forward regarding infrastructure needs for offshore wind in the future once the federal government resumes leasing and permitting for wind energy generation projects,” Public Service Commissioner Rory Christian said in a release.

The move will protect New York taxpayers from paying for “premature infrastructure costs,” the agency said.

But advocates said the state should continue preparing for a future powered by wind.

“Abandoning the process now is a huge missed opportunity that locks in additional years of delay and halts progress on developing this critical and affordable resource. New York must continue to lead — not retreat — on offshore wind,” Chris Casey of the Natural Resources Defense Council said in a statement.

The plan, which was part of the state’s offshore wind goals, was to have the transmission lines ready by 2033.

Thursday’s decision "strategically terminating” the lengthy process for building the transmission infrastructure did not predict when it could restart.

The utility regulator said Thursday that the Trump administration’s decision to stop permitting and building offshore wind make the state’s goals “impossible in the near term.”

Permitted offshore wind projects were not affected by the announcement.

But projects like Renewable Ravenswood, which would turn the city's largest power plant into a green energy hub, face further delays.

New York state was substantially behind on its renewable energy transition goals before Trump took office. The state climate law set a goal of 70% renewable energy by 2030. Last year, a state report found that New York was three years behind.

“Rather than stepping back, the state should be continuing low-cost, high-value work — such as completing the grid operator’s cost benefit analysis, selecting the most effective project, and advancing state-level approvals — to position New York to move quickly once federal barriers ease,” Casey said.