Trump halts New London-based Revolution Wind project
Joe Wojtas Daniel Drainville Alison Cross
New London — The Trump administration announced Friday that
it has canceled the Revolution Wind project, which is based at State Pier.
The move could deal a blow to the future of the region’s
wind industry after state taxpayers invested $310 million to transform State
Pier into an offshore wind hub so that it could accommodate wind turbine
components and the ships that assemble them. On Friday, large sections of
turbines remained spread out on the pier.
A total of 45 of Revolution Wind’s 65 turbines have been
completed. It remains the only offshore wind farm that will provide Connecticut
with power — 304 megawatts to Connecticut and 400 megawatts to Rhode Island —
and is the second of three planned offshore wind projects that State Pier will
host.
Parts for New York’s 84-turbine Sunrise Wind were expected
to start arriving just weeks after Revolution Wind was slated to be completed
in the first half of next year. No projects were scheduled after that.
Friday’s move comes four months after the Trump
administration halted construction on Empire Wind, a New York offshore wind
project.
Mayor Michael Passero said a representative for Ørsted, the
firm constructing the turbines, informed him Friday afternoon that “they are
closing down the project” after being ordered to stop all work.
Passero called the news “very disappointing,” adding the
federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management “has not given a reason for why
they’ve done this.”
“The project, from my understanding, is nearly complete at
this point,” Passero said. “The implications are wide-ranging. ... There are a
lot of construction jobs going on right now during this phase, and that’s
probably the largest employment impact.”
Passero said the Sunrise Wind project “is still on track.”
“That project was was set to start right after they
completed Revolution Wind. So that project is still going forward,” Passero
said.
Ørsted, in a statement released Friday night, said it is
complying with the order, and taking the appropriate steps to stop offshore
activities, “ensuring the safety of workers and the environment,” while it
evaluates options to resolve the matter “expeditiously.”
The company said it’s evaluating the potential financial
impact of the development and considering a range of scenarios, including legal
action.
“This includes engagement with relevant permitting agencies
for any necessary clarification or resolution as well as through potential
legal proceedings, with the aim being to proceed with continued project
construction towards (completion of development) in the second half of 2026.”
In a letter Friday to Rob Keiser, the head of asset
management for Ørsted North America Inc., Matthew Giacona, the acting director
of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, ordered Ørsted to “halt all ongoing
activities related to the Revolution Wind Project.”
In the letter, Giacona said the bureau is undertaking the
review pursuant to a Jan. 20 memorandum from President Donald Trump, which
called for the “Temporary
Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind
Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices
for Wind Projects.”
Giacona wrote that the pause would allow time for the bureau
to “address concerns related to the protection of national security interests
of the United States and prevention of interference with reasonable uses of the
exclusive economic zone, the high seas, and the territorial seas.”
He said that the bureau is “acting to ensure that all
activities ... are carried out in a manner that provides for protection of the
environment, among other requirements.”
Giacona said Ørsted may not resume construction until the
bureau completes its review. He said Ørsted may appeal the order.
On Friday night, Paul Whitescarver, the chairman of the
Connecticut Port Authority Board, said he did not have much to say about the
news.
“I wish I could tell you anything. We just got the
information too,” Whitescarver said. “I imagine it’s similar to Empire Wind
that happened in New York. That was a three-to-four-week stoppage.”
‘Not good for us’
Port Authority board member John Johnson said he had not yet
heard about the decision when reached Friday night.
“I’m appalled that I didn’t know about the decision,” he
said.
Johnson said he didn’t know what was behind Trump’s “angst”
toward the wind industry, an area where, historically, the United States has
been far behind the rest of the world. He said he thinks politics has played a
big role.
“I believe and continue to believe that what Joe Biden was
in favor of, Trump is opposed to. It’s petty politics, but there’s no good
reason not to have wind as an alternative source of power,” Johnson said. “If
he canceled Revolution Wind, that’s not good for us — not good for the American
public. He’s doing it because he’s in favor of coal-generated and oil-generated
electricity.”
Johnson said the Port Authority, led by Executive Director
Michael J. O’Connor and Board Chairman Paul Whitescarver, will now “charter a
course” for the port authority.
“We have a 15- or 20-person board,” he said. “It will be a
board decision. We’ll listen to a course of action that might be proposed by
Paul and Mike. And we’ll discuss it in open discussion. We’ll take the course
of action that we all decide on. We all are very vocal.”
He said Gov. Ned Lamont has committed substantial state
resources to building out State Pier so that it could become “the center of the
wind industry in New England.”
“I think it’s fair to say that we would take any and all
actions that would help us in continuing to do what the pier has been doing,”
Johnson said. “And that’s assembling turbines and installing them in the ocean
bed — out in the ocean,” he said.
Here's what Tweed New Haven Regional Airport's new proposed terminal looks like
NEW HAVEN — Tweed New Haven
Regional Airport released new designs of the proposed new
84,000-square-foot terminal on the East Haven side, now that designs are 60%
complete.
“This milestone is a testament to years of planning,
collaboration, and innovation,” Michael
Jones, CEO of The New HVN said in the release. “Through these
renderings, our community can see the vision of a modernized Tweed that
combines enhanced air travel, economic growth, and environmental
responsibility. We are excited to share this progress and continue refining the
design with input from our stakeholders.”
The new renderings come four months after an environmental
permit application was filed with the state Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection by Avports,
the Goldman Sachs-owned company that operates Tweed for the Tweed New Haven
Airport Authority through its The New HVN subsidiary.
"At this stage, the big-picture decisions are finalized
— such as terminal layout, footprint and systems planning — while enough detail
is developed to support regulatory approvals, cost estimates, and construction
planning," the release states.
The renderings also come at a time when some opponents of
airport expansion have questioned what they have called a lack of progress in
the 20 months after the
Federal Aviation Administration issued a "Finding of No Significant
Impact," or FONSI, which found, based
on a draft environmental assessment,that the project would not
significantly harm the environment.
East Haven and Save The Sound both have appealed that Dec.
21, 2024 FAA finding and called for a full environmental impact statement,
which would go beyond the environmental assessment that was done as part of the
FONSI process.
The FONSI cleared the way for the project at the
fast-growing airport, which offers service to more than 30 destinations
via Avelo
Airlines and Breeze
Airways, to move forward.
"Glossy drawings and new press releases cannot disguise
the reality: this project poses serious risks and still faces a number of
unresolved hurdles," East Haven Mayor Joe Carfora said in a news release.
He said this includes traffic and environmental
approvals, public safety concerns and questions of town authority.
"As I have repeatedly said, this proposed expansion
will have transformational impacts on East Haven—and not for the better,"
Carfora said. "That is why, from the very beginning of the Environmental
Assessment process, I directed the town to retain independent experts to
carefully evaluate this project. Their findings have been clear and consistent:
the proposed terminal would bring serious environmental damage, overwhelming
traffic impacts, heightened public safety risks, and heavy economic burdens on
the town."
He said East Haven will participate in the "maximum
extent allowable under current laws and regulations" in DEEP's review of
the process.
"East Haven will also make sure that all appropriate
and applicable local laws and regulations are adhered to, including, if
necessary, utilizing any and all legal avenues available," Carfora said.
East Haven also appealed the FAA’s Finding of No Significant
Impact and final Environmental Assessment" in federal court in Washington
D.C., which is pending.
"The citizens of East Haven deserve nothing less than a
firm defense of their environment, their safety, and the character of their
community," Carfora said. "I will not deviate from that duty."
East Haven resident Lorena
Venegas, who has been one of the loudest voices opposing airport expansion,
said the new renderings don't change her opinion or the fact that Tweed is in a
low-lying area that already floods during heavy rains. She predicted that the
proposed expansion won't happen, at least in its current form.
"The drawings that were released yesterday were really
just propaganda," Venegas said Friday. Since Tweed began pursuing the
project "costs have gone up," while Proto Drive, which Tweed's
proposed new entrance would be off of, is only a few feet above a flood zone.
"I don't think it's very creative and I don't see it's
very considerate to the community," she said of the plans.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker did not immediately return
request for comment.
Tweed's plans call for a four-gate terminal that might be
expandable at some point in the future, officials have said. The proposed
project, the cost for which has been estimated at $70 million to $100 million,
is on about 40 acres that formerly was used for Tweed's now-decommissioned
cross-wind runway.
The federal government approved a $4 million grant toward
design costs for the new terminal last November.
In a release, Tweed called the 60% design mark "a
pivotal milestone" and a "critical checkpoint" in the project's
progress.
"The design is advanced enough to show the community
and regulators what the future terminal will look like, while still allowing
refinement and community input before construction begins," the release
states, adding it "demonstrates to airlines, partners and the public that
Tweed’s expansion is not conceptual but advancing through real, federally
recognized design stages."
The new terminal will help meet a growing demand for air
service through 2040 and create new jobs, the release states.
"With every step forward, Tweed proves it is more than
an airport; it’s a powerful engine of economic growth for our region,”
said Robert
Reed, chairman of the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority, which oversees the
airport under a long-term lease with the City of New Haven. "This
expansion brings opportunities for businesses, good jobs for residents and
momentum for Southern Connecticut’s economy."
A group of neighbors in both New Haven's Morris Cove
section, East Haven and beyond continue to oppose the Tweed expansion for both
environmental and quality-of-life reasons.
The terminal plan includes environmental mitigation and sustainability measures, including restoring more than 32 acres of tidal wetlands, preserving 25 acres of grassland bird habitat and enhancing flood resilience by elevating the terminal above the 100-year flood plain, Tweed officials have said.
From Quiet Corner to mega-warehouse hub: How Plainfield became an industrial stronghold
The town of Plainfield, located in Connecticut’s “Last Green
Valley,” might appear remote and rural, but it has still attracted a lot of
attention from major corporate warehouses, with a slew of recent deals.
The secret — relatively plentiful land and good road
connections.
“The proximity on 395 is really what it’s all about for
warehousing,” said First Selectman Kevin Cunningham. “You have access to
95. You have access to 295 in Worcester. You have access to Route 6 to get you
either going over towards the Hartford area or to Providence. It’s easy access
to get on and off.”
A 1.3 million-square-foot distribution center for hardware
chain Lowe’s has consistently been the top taxpayer in Plainfield since it was
built in 2004. That siting was seen as unusual enough at the time that it
warranted coverage in the New York Times. It also came at a fairly steep
upfront cost to the town, which was on the hook for putting in an access road,
water and sewer.
But it wasn’t until more recently that other corporations
saw the Quiet Corner opportunity — and according to Cunningham these newer
deals are cash flow positive for the town from the jump, perhaps a factor in
muting the sort of opposition that’s cropped up in other Connecticut towns over
the mega-warehouse trend.
An Amazon warehouse, located at 137 Lathrop Road — formerly
a greyhound racing track — and first announced in 2021, is finally due to open
this October ahead of the busy holiday season. It will be Amazon’s 17th
distribution location in Connecticut.
The building itself has been completed for some two years,
and has been yielding $440,000 a year in tax to the town since it got its
certificate of occupancy.
The opening of the 200,000-square-foot “last-mile”
fulfillment center was delayed due to what the company described as
industrywide supply chain and inflationary challenges. When it finally opens,
Cunningham expects its tax value to the town to increase to over $1 million a
year. It also expects to employ up to 200 local workers.
Meanwhile, Uline — a Wisconsin distributor of shipping,
packaging and industrial supplies to business customers — is in the midst of
developing a 1.3 million-square-foot distribution center, which will employ 250
people initially and could grow its headcount to 500.
The company says the facility will be completed by June
2026, and it hopes to be fully staffed and operational by October or November
of that year. Like Amazon, Uline did not seek a tax abatement for the siting,
and will also add substantially to Plainfield’s grand list.
Finally, Plainfield officials expect to announce more
details soon about a potential Costco warehouse on a site that straddles the
town line with Canterbury on Norwich Road. That could be as big as 2.5 million
square feet.
“They’re going to do a public informational meeting sometime
at the end of this month,” Cunningham said. “They also plan to do presentations
in front of both towns for inland wetlands and also zoning. So, it’s got a long
way to go for just the introduction portion of it for sure.”
Costco would not share more details, saying it does not
comment on future warehouse sites.
Uline, though, is happy to speak about its budding
relationship with this rural Connecticut town.
“Plainfield is the area we saw where the puck is going, and
so we wanted to be ahead of that momentum of the expansion of the future supply
chain,” said Dmitry Dukhan, Uline’s senior vice president of real estate
and construction. “Specifically on the East Coast, the closer you are to the
customer, the better the performance of the business will be.”
On-site building inspector
Currently, Uline is servicing its New England territory out
of an Allentown, Pennsylvania distribution center, and the company had been on
the hunt for a strategic location in the region for some time. Massachusetts
and Providence, Rhode Island, were also on the short list for the new facility
before Plainfield won out.
“It truly is one of the best locations in New England. And
then obviously once we got to know the Plainfield community, we absolutely fell
in love with it,” Dukhan said.
He cites Plainfield’s position close to the core markets of
Boston, Hartford, Rhode Island, New York City and upstate New York. The
facility was approved by the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission in April
2024, and Dukhan says the town of about 15,000 residents has been easy to work
with.
One thing that First Selectman Cunningham says he offered to
both Amazon and Uline is an on-site building inspector who works with the
company on a daily basis to sign off on aspects of construction, speeding the
time to completion.
Some limitations
Not every Connecticut town has been on board with building
mega warehouses. Just a few years ago, residents in Willington and Cromwell
rejected plans for distribution centers, and there was organized opposition to
similar plans in Ashford and Middlebury. Planners in Windsor Locks have also
rejected warehouse plans in the recent past, and the town of Enfield has faced
lawsuits from residents.
The concerns mostly center on noise, light pollution and
potential congestion from truck convoys. Construction noise on the Uline site
has prompted some complaints in Plainfield.
Cunningham said there’s a limit to how many warehouses
Plainfield can handle, particularly in terms of trucking volumes. For now,
though, he welcomes the boost to economic development and the town’s grand
list.
“In our town we have one grocery store,” he said. “I’m
looking to promote and market another couple of areas in town for another
grocery store to come in.”
He’s also hoping the influx of employment will stimulate
more housing development in town. He points to a potential deal to sell the old
Wauregan Mill building, on South Walnut Street, where a developer is interested
in creating 230 apartments.