Hochul Demands Trump Administration Keep Offshore Wind Permits Intact

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is urging the Trump Administration to stand by previously approved offshore wind permits after the president cut off federal support for renewable energy projects.

President Donald Trump recently announced he was revoking $679 million in federal allocations that had been designated for offshore wind development across the country. The U.S. Department of Transportation said the move was aimed at bolstering America’s maritime industry while reducing what it described as “wasteful spending.”

During his January 20th inauguration, Trump declared, “We’re not going to do the wind thing. Big, ugly wind mills. They ruin your neighborhood.”

One of the projects most affected by the decision is the Arthur Kill Terminal, which has been in development for more than five years. The Staten Island site was intended to serve as a hub where wind turbines and towers could be built and staged before being transported offshore. That initiative lost $48 million in federal funding after Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy rescinded funds earmarked for a dozen separate wind efforts.

Hochul responded on Labor Day with a forceful statement: “... Today, more than 5,000 workers - many of them proud union members - are directly engaged with building this new American industry, with many thousands more manufacturing products across 40 states that will help lead to a new era of U.S. energy independence.”

The governor emphasized that the industry carries the promise of “tens of thousands of additional jobs, while also revitalizing ports, improving supply chains, and ensuring “that America - not our competitors - leads in clean energy manufacturing and innovation.”

She added, “We are looking for the Trump Administration to uphold all offshore wind permits already granted and allow these projects to be constructed. Efforts to walk back these commitments jeopardize hardworking families, wasting years of progress and ceding leadership to foreign competitors.”

Although Arthur Kill Terminal still awaits its final approvals, several key steps have already been completed:

-The City Council granted a special permit to modify height and setback restrictions, including for 150-foot light poles.

-The City Planning Commission approved zoning text amendments, landfill use, and a city map change tied to the project.

-The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation signed off on the project’s Environmental Impact Statement.

Hochul argued that stability is critical.

“Workers, businesses, and communities need certainty, not reversals... Sudden reversals would also impact countless other workers and taxpayers on scores of non-energy public projects. The U.S. markets operate on certainty.”

She warned that, “Canceling projects that have already been fully permitted, including some near completion, sends the worrisome message to investors that the work can be stopped on a whim, which could lead them to decide to either not finance different projects or impose higher interest rates that would ultimately place a bigger burden on taxpayers.”

While the terminal has received widespread bipartisan support from elected leaders across Staten Island, Borough President Vito Fossella has been one of its strongest critics. He framed the funding cuts as an opportunity for a new direction: “is a decisive chance to pursue a smarter, more sustainable economic development plan for Staten Island’s South Shore.”

Fossella continued, “We were skeptical of the suitability of this site, viewing the massive, long-term funding required as both risky and overly ambitious. Moreover, we were concerned about the potential environmental damage and the risk of burdening the community with abandoned infrastructure if the project collapsed. Those fears were justified, and here we are. Moving forward, we will collaborate with city and state agencies to champion alternative plans that truly prioritize the best interests of the Staten Island community.”

It is worth noting that Fossella’s office participated in the project’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure in 2024 when he had the chance to provide recommendations before approvals advanced to the City Planning Commission and Council.

Meanwhile, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis had earlier attempted to preserve the project. In an April 4th letter addressed to Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, Army Corps Chief of Engineers William Graham, Jr., and other top officials, she wrote: “Arthur Kill Terminal is a vital economic development project for my district… I encourage you to expedite the final review and authorization of this permit.”

Speaking to the Advance/SILive.com this week, Malliotakis explained: “We are working with Secretary Duffy to get the funding repurposed to another maritime, port infrastructure or economic development project that would benefit Staten Island. The permitting work I did in April is for the development of the port, but not specific to any one project.”

The Arthur Kill Terminal was projected to generate 750 union jobs, but its future remains uncertain in light of Trump’s executive order halting the approval process for offshore wind facilities nationwide.

Hochul Demands Trump Administration Keep Offshore Wind Permits Intact