When Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered a halt to the Empire Wind Project, which proposed building a subsidy-driven, expensive offshore wind farm in federal waters off the coast of New York state, supporters of the project decried the move, alleging it was the first such action ever taken by a government.
Governor Kathy Hochul, a proponent of the Norwegian-owned project, accused the federal government of “overreach” and vowed to “fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy, and New York’s economic future.” Never mind that the “affordable energy” she cites is over three times as expensive as a natural gas plant would produce – if only she’d stop blocking gas pipelines and allow drilling in New York’s share of the Marcellus formation, the same resource that’s brought Pennsylvania both wealth and energy security.
Supporters of the “green transition” piled on, alleging that Secretary Burgum had sent a “chilling” message to all energy projects, and claiming that his decision to review the hastily approved permits was unique, or groundbreaking, or something new.
Nothing could be further from the truth. On the very first day of President Biden’s presidency, he issued an executive order revoking a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. With the stroke of a pen, he idled thousands of pipeline workers on a project that had already crossed the U.S.-Canada border, and upon which billions of dollars had already been spent.
In fact, a quick review of Biden’s actions as president shows a long string of broken promises, agreements, contracts, and laws, all in pursuit of “net-zero,” the “green transition,” and his pledge to “end fossil fuels,” which animated his entire administration.
Here is a brief list of some of Biden’s actions, some of which are still being litigated:
- Biden’s EPA dealt a death blow to Pebble Mine in Alaska in January 2023. Citing its authority under the 1972 Clean Water Act, his EPA proposed a legal determination to ban the disposal of mining waste rock in the Bristol Bay watershed. Pebble is one of the world’s largest copper deposits –essential for electrification—and holds enormous quantities of additional minerals, including strategic ones. It did so preemptively, the first such use of this claimed authority.
- In June 2024, the Biden administration denied a permit to the State of Alaska for the Ambler Mining District Road, which was guaranteed by the state under federal law.
- In 2023, Biden ordered a 20-year ban on oil and gas leasing within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. In withdrawing the lands from development against the wishes of the Navajo Nation, the action prevents Navajo mineral owners from developing their oil and natural gas resources and realizing $194 million in royalty income over 20 years.
- Biden blocked the Twin Metals Mine in Minnesota, supported by local residents and local unions in the nickel-cobalt rich area of Northern Minnesota, long known for its contributions to the nation’s mineral wealth.
These represent only a small handful of the detrimental contributions of the Biden administration; the Institute for Energy Research compiled over 250 examples of actions they took to limit energy and mineral development (necessary for energy uses, including “green energy”) during their tenure.
Secretary Burgum’s decision to pause and review the Empire Wind Project fits squarely within the norms that the federal government itself has established. If anything, it should prompt a long-overdue conversation about the chaos and inconsistency of a permitting process that can greenlight flawed projects while stonewalling essential infrastructure. What the moment truly calls for is not selective outrage, but comprehensive reform—so that energy development in America can proceed transparently, lawfully, and in the public interest.