A coalition of Long Island fishermen are suing the Donald Trump administration over its decision to allow Empire Wind, the massive wind farm off the south shore, to continue construction.
The suit comes weeks after the administration reversed course on its April stop-work order, which allowed construction to continue on Empire Wind despite President Trump's January order requiring a new review of offshore wind projects nationwide.
The plaintiffs — including Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, Inc., several fishing boat captains, Protect Our Coast NJ and Clean Ocean Action among others — argue in court documents that the Trump administration had no legal authority to reinstate work permits for Empire Wind.
"The [reinstatement] order is a single sentence with no substance of any kind, let alone any that supports the resumption of work on Empire Wind," the plaintiffs' lawyer wrote. "No explanation was offered to explain the basis for the reinstatement of the work permit; no results of any investigation were announced; and no factual basis was identified...to support this administrative reversal."
The fishermen want a more thorough review of the potential impacts to the environment, fishing grounds, and local economy, according to Bonnie Brady, executive director of Long Island Commercial Fishing Association.
“It's almost a quicksand pool of things not to do, not only to commercial fishermen, but to the environment, to all the marine mammals, to everything, and to the ratepayers, ultimately," Brady said. "But they chose to keep going. So once they removed the stop work order, we had no choice but to sue.”
The group has pushed back on offshore wind for years due to the threat the turbine farms pose to the fishing industry.
“There isn't one fisherman I know that just wants to get a paycheck and sit at home versus go out and fish and provide food for Americans — not one," Brady said. "But they are literally stealing our ocean bottom without any kind of true and just compensation.”
President Trump signed an executive order in January blocking most wind farms until a new review of the entire industry is complete.
Supporters of Empire Wind say the the project already underwent a lengthy permitting process and impact study.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had celebrated the Trump administration's May decision to reinstate the work permits, thanking the president for his willingess to work with her.
