ALBANY, New York — President Donald Trump’s quest to stop “windmills” in the ocean has led New York to abandon a major transmission project intended to support offshore wind.
The decision to cancel the proposed investment is an acknowledgment that New York will not meet its 2035 offshore wind target given Trump’s indefinite pause on permitting for the technology. Offshore wind is fundamental to the state’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Public Service Commission Chair Rory Christian criticized federal attacks on the industry and said the commission’s decision was necessary to protect ratepayers. The commission canceled the process to select a transmission plan during its regular monthly meeting Thursday.
“What we’ve seen over the last several months from the federal government hasn’t been a simple change in policy, but a wholesale departure from long established norms,” Christian said during the meeting. “In time, the winds of national policy will shift. When they do, we will be ready. But in the meantime, we have to focus our attention on building the clean energy infrastructure we can.”
