The Building Trades and renewable energy sector nabbed a victory on January 15th, when a U.S. District Judge granted offshore wind developer Equinor a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Department of the Interior’s stop-work order on construction in federal waters. The Empire Wind project was facing a serious threat of cancellation due to repeated delays caused by the Trump administration. Offshore wind developer Ørsted also recently won a preliminary injunction to continue work on its Revolution Wind project off the coasts of Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Local 3, IBEW issued the following statement upon the U.S. District Judge’s most recent decision:
“Local Union No. 3, IBEW is pleased with the U.S. District Court's decision to grant a preliminary injunction and allow construction to resume on the Empire Wind project. Empire Wind and its staging location at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal are being constructed by tradesmen and women under a Project Labor Agreement, ensuring good wages and protections and providing work opportunities for local residents. It is already 60% complete and will provide clean-energy power for up to 500,000 homes and businesses in New York. While the Trump administration sees it differently and continues to attack good, union jobs in renewable energy, Local 3 and the IBEW stand strong, and we're ready to finish the job.”
