Washington, D.C. — Turn Forward Executive Director Hillary Bright issued the following statement after a U.S. District judge granted a preliminary injunction allowing construction on Sunrise Wind to resume:
“Today’s ruling marks the fifth time in a row that a federal court has allowed one of the five offshore wind projects suspended in December to move forward. With this decision, courts have now consistently rejected the government’s abrupt attempt to halt construction on these fully permitted projects.
Taken together, these five offshore wind projects represent nearly 6 gigawatts of new electricity now under construction along the East Coast, enough power to serve 2.5M American homes and businesses. At a time when electricity demand is rising rapidly and grid reliability is under increasing strain, these projects represent critically needed utility-scale power sources that are making progress toward completion.
We hope the consistent outcomes in court bode well for the completion of these projects. Energy experts and grid operators alike recognize that offshore wind is a critical reliability resource for densely populated coastal regions, particularly during periods of high demand. Delaying or obstructing these projects only increases the risk of higher costs and greater instability for ratepayers.
After five rulings and five clear outcomes, it is time to move past litigation-driven uncertainty and allow these projects to finish the job they were approved to do. Offshore wind strengthens American energy security, supports domestic manufacturing and construction jobs, and delivers reliable power where it is needed most. We need to leverage this resource, not hold it back.”