Posted on April 9, 2025
Smith Point’s Park Beach is where offshore wind energy will soon come ashore. Crews there are laying cables for New York’s second wind farm with 84 turbines 30 miles off Montauk.
“We have this untapped renewable resource, the wind… this is going to power millions of homes… with almost zero fossil fuel use,” Melissa Parrot, executive director of Renewable Energy Long Island said. “The planet is at sake. We see the glaciers melting… you see the storms, you see the floods… and the number one way to curb climate change is top stop our CO2 output, which is fossil fuel use.”
Hope has turned to uncertainty. On his first day in office, President Trump halted ocean wind lease sales and permits, ordering a full review. His strategy prioritizes oil, gas and coal to lower prices, he said.
“We have more energy than anybody and we are going to be unleashing it,” Mr. Trump said.
“Industrializing our ocean will serve no benefit”
On the other end of of Long Island and on the flip side of the debate, Christina Kramer of Protect Our Coast – LINY applauds Mr. Trump’s decision. She turned against offshore wind when a transmission line was proposed on her Long Beach block. Her group argues wind energy is unreliable, costly and environmentally harmful.
“Industrializing our ocean will serve no benefit to the ocean, our marine life, the fisheries, the jobs, the natural environment there. There’s no reason to do this. We have alternatives,” Kramer said.
“The negatives are much more than the positives, the marine life, the damage to our ocean, the pollution what they’re made of… fossil fuel is cleaner, is it not? I’m not so sure that these are cleaner,” Island Park resident Veronica Dalton said.
Not according to science.
“Fossil fuels are causing climate change, there is no doubt about that. Thousands of peer review scientists from around the globe all agree,” Adrienne Esposito of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment said. “You’re not burning carbon, that makes it much cleaner than fossil fuels.”
“The population is very dense here, where do you build new energy generation? Offshore wind happens to be a very good solution to that,” said Nick Guariglia of the New York Offshore Wind Alliance.
“Offshore wind is really a net benefit for everything”
The pause throws a wrench into New York’s ambitious offshore wind goals, and the prior federal goal of powering 10 million homes by 2030.
New York’s first wind farm is up and running, exceeding energy output predictions, and two more are under construction. Two others that were proposed, however, are now in limbo due to the executive order.
“While there may be opportunities for renewable energy that is beneficial to our world and the earth, the concern of people is that it’s too much too fast,” former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito said.
D’Esposito cites concerns over battery storage and transmission routes.
“I think President Trump has made an excellent decision in the best interest of safety,” D’Esposito said.
Others say the federal pause is about self-interest.
“He has a close relationship with the fossil fuel industry and the nuclear industry, and because wind has advanced so much it is now a true competitor,” Esposito said.
“Offshore wind is really a net benefit for everything,” Guariglia said. “It’s a set price for 30 years, that’s incredible.”
“We will see offshore wind find its place”
The abrupt turnaround will have a ripple effect, supporters of wind power say.
“The local deli, hair barber, right to the high schools and trying to show these kids the career path, you’re making over $100,000 per year,” Billy Haugland, CEO of the Haugland Group said.
The Haugland Group is doing the land-based work on Long Island. Haugland hopes the debate will shift to an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy.
“We will see offshore wind find its place in a piece of that pie, given the fact that we have an abundance of ocean and a wind tunnel,” Haugland said.
Kramer says it’s not the view of the wind turbines she dislikes.
“You can call them green or clean, but they’re as dirty as they come,” Kramer said. “People like me are the true environmentalists and conservationists. We just want our place to be left untouched.”
“Look at the industrial view from the ocean right now. Tanker after tanker after tanker, and 30% of those tankers are oil tankers,” Esposito said.
“Compare that to oil and compare that to gas where it’s 100% fossil fuels. What we are saying out here, is it a perfect zero percent?No, but it’s a heck of lot better than what we are currently using,” Parrot said.
Supporters of offshore wind say the pause ignores the urgency.
“We don’t have time,” Parrot said. “Climate change is here. You see the storms, you see. It’s here. It’s time. It’s screaming at us, let’s go.”
Both sides agree New York is outgrowing its energy. Where will new power come from?
