NY AG Letitia James files suits challenging latest offshore wind stop work orders

The number of lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s latest attempt to pause construction on offshore wind is growing. New York Attorney General Letitia James on Friday filed two lawsuits challenging the stop-work orders issued the New York-based Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind projects, citing undisclosed “national security” concerns. She says the orders are unlawful, arbitrary and unwarranted..

“New Yorkers deserve clean, reliable energy, good-paying jobs, and a government that follows the law,” said Attorney General James. “These projects were carefully reviewed and already under construction when the federal government pulled the plug without explanation. This reckless decision puts workers, families, and our climate goals at risk, and my office is taking action to stop it.”

“New York will not back down in our fight for a clean energy future and I commend Attorney General James for taking this action to lift the unlawful stop work orders on New York’s two offshore wind projects under construction,” said N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul. “The Trump administration’s incomprehensible obsession with shutting down these fully permitted projects lacks legal justification, hurts his stated goal of U.S. energy independence, and will cost New York thousands of jobs and needed power to keep the lights on and attract economic development opportunities. These unlawful actions cannot stand.”

According to Attorney General James’ office, the stop-work orders issued Dec. 22, provided no project-specific findings, offered no explanation for why existing safeguards were insufficient, and left open the possibility of indefinite extensions. The orders came just weeks after Attorney General James secured a federal court ruling invalidating a broader federal freeze on wind energy approvals, raising serious concerns that the administration is attempting to revive an unlawful policy through new means.

Attorney General James argues that the stop-work orders will have immediate and severe consequences, including significant economic harm throughout New York. Together, the projects support thousands of union jobs, billions of dollars in private and public investment, and major infrastructure improvements in communities across Long Island and New York City. Halting construction risks delaying or permanently derailing the projects, jeopardizing contracts, local tax revenue, workforce training programs, and long-term economic development tied to New York’s clean energy transition.

Attorney General James also asserts that the administration’s actions will harm New Yorkers’ health and wallets. Delaying or derailing these clean energy projects would prolong New York City and Long Island’s reliance on the region’s decades-old fossil-fuel plants, which send significant pollution into communities and result in higher energy costs for consumers. The delay would also threaten the state’s ability to meet its legally mandated clean energy targets, including achieving 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and a zero-emissions electric grid by 2040.

In her lawsuits, filed simultaneously Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Attorney General James argues that the stop-work orders fail to explain the federal government’s change in position and to provide a genuine justification for the suspension, making them arbitrary and capricious, in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. She is asking the court to declare the stop-work orders unlawful and block their enforcement.

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