NEW YORK – On Friday, New York Attorney General Letitia James initiated a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging its move to suspend two significant offshore wind projects. These projects, once completed, are expected to supply power to over a million homes across New York.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, argues that the U.S. Department of the Interior’s decision on December 22 to halt the construction of these projects off Long Island—citing national security concerns—lacked justification and was arbitrary. James contends this decision is unfounded and problematic.

Attorney General James, a Democrat, emphasized that the Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind projects had already undergone extensive security and safety assessments over more than ten years by various federal, state, and local agencies. She warned that delaying these projects could adversely affect New York’s economy and energy infrastructure, prompting her to seek judicial intervention.

“The people of New York deserve access to clean and dependable energy, along with well-paying jobs and a government that upholds the law,” James stated. “This rash decision jeopardizes workers, families, and our environmental objectives.”

Representatives from the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, both implicated in the lawsuit, declined to comment on the matter on Friday, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.

The Interior Department’s order last month suspended Sunrise Wind, Empire Wind and three other offshore wind projects under construction along the East Coast. The department maintains that the movement of massive turbine blades can cause radar interference called “clutter” that can obscure legitimate moving targets and generate false ones.

Trump has also dismissed offshore wind developments as ugly, expensive and a threat to wildlife as he pushes fossil fuels over renewable energy for electricity production.

Empire Wind is located about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) southeast of Long Island and is projected to power more than 500,000 homes. Equinor, the Norwegian company developing the project, has said it’s about 60% complete.

Sunrise Wind is located about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Montauk and is expected to power about 600,000 homes. Orsted, the Danish energy company developing the project, has said it’s roughly 45% complete.

Both developers have also filed their own legal challenges, as have the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

James previously led a coalition of attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., in challenging Trump’s executive order pausing approvals, permits and loans for all wind energy projects, both onshore and offshore.

Last month, a federal judge in Massachusetts sided with the attorneys general and vacated the Jan. 20, 2025, order. Days later, the Trump administration issued the stop-work order on the East Coast projects.