A fishing industry lawsuit filed last week seeking to stop construction of Empire Wind 1, an 810-megawatt project in the ocean off Long Island, is just one part of a multipronged assault on clean energy. According to news reports, the Trump administration was to move yesterday to repeal federal limits on power plant climate pollution. These include Biden-era rules aimed at reducing mercury, lead, and other health risks associated with fossil fuels, particularly coal.
As if to double down on environmental destruction, the Trump administration is also going after marine protected areas. In April, the White House announced that it was opening a huge swath of the Pacific to commercial fishing. Meanwhile, it has sought to restart offshore oil drilling and deep-sea mining. But mining is somewhat of a misnomer; new robotic technology allows for sweeping the seabed to gather mineral-rich nodules. The downside is that indiscriminate sweeps like this can devastate underwater ecosystems, some of which have taken thousands of years to develop.
Long Island's own Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, was expected yesterday to announce he was dropping a climate rule aimed at curbing greenhouse gases by requiring new gas-fired power plants and existing coal-fired units to capture and store carbon. In a statement, the E.P.A. claimed that fossil-fuel-burning plants "do not contribute significantly to dangerous pollution," an observation roundly rejected by scientists — according to the federal government's own reports, power generation produces about 25 percent of greenhouse emissions in the United States, just behind transportation. Meanwhile, the administration continues to take a dim view of renewable energy.
Wind power in particular has come under direct assault. Among the very first executive orders by the Trump White House was a January pause on leases and permits for offshore wind farms. Empire Wind 1 was among the projects halted by the order, which was reversed a month later following lobbying by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. Now, as reported this week, the commercial fishing groups have asked a New Jersey court to block it once again.
The fishing industry tends to fight anything that would limit access to areas of the sea.
As its big players see it, they are beset by unreasonable quotas and seasonal restrictions and therefore reflexively opposed to anything that muscles in on their turf. Their fears are understandable, if shortsighted. Climate is the overarching issue, and clean power generation is an important part of efforts to reduce the rate of global warming. Changes in water temperature have already forced fisheries to adapt. Long Island Sound's lobster population is believed to be especially vulnerable, for one.
Wind is ultimately a market-driven solution to the emissions problem. It comes from within the power industry itself, not an external mandate. And it creates needed jobs in construction and maintenance, helping to diversify regional economies. If corporations can make money while contributing to a healthier environment, so much the better. No matter the outcome of the New Jersey lawsuit, in the long term, wind has to be part of the portfolio if the U.S. is serious about greenhouse gas reduction.