Offshore Wind Vs. Natural Gas Pipeline Slugfest Emerging In US

The article discusses recent conflicts between the US offshore wind industry and natural gas pipeline projects, highlighting government actions that have stalled key renewable energy developments. Specifically, the Interior Department has issued a stop-work order on the Revolution Wind offshore wind project off Rhode Island’s coast, despite it being 80% complete. This halt also affects Connecticut, a project partner. The official reason cited involves unspecified security concerns, which the article suggests may be a pretext. A similar freeze occurred earlier this year on New York’s Empire Wind project, which was temporarily halted but later resumed after political negotiations involving state and federal officials and the energy company Equinor. Underlying these renewable energy setbacks is the resurgence of natural gas pipeline proposals, notably the Constitution pipeline and Project Maple. The Constitution pipeline, initially proposed in 2014 to transport gas from Pennsylvania to New England, was previously rejected but has recently re-emerged and is reportedly fast-tracked for approval. Project Maple, linked to Canadian firm Enbridge, aims to expand the