ALBANY, NY – [Photo: Governor’s Office]
Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James on September 22 announced that New York is leading seven other attorneys general in suing to block two illegal deals by the Trump administration that would hand energy companies $1.4 billion in taxpayer dollars in exchange for canceling four critical offshore wind projects.
In the two lawsuits, one challenging a deal with Bluepoint Wind and the other challenging one with Invenergy, Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the deals unlawfully misuse taxpayer dollars and sabotage states’ ability to meet growing energy demands. Filed during climate week, the lawsuits ask the court to stop the deals, which kill critical wind projects just to bankroll fossil fuel plants elsewhere in the country.
“The Trump administration’s unlawful pay-to-not-play scheme to pressure companies to forego planned offshore wind projects in America is an outrageous abuse of taxpayer dollars that hurts our ability to meet our energy needs, reduce emissions, create good paying jobs, and help secure American energy independence”, Governor Hochul. “Working with Attorney General James and the seven other AGs who filed this lawsuit, we will continue to fight back against the unending war against clean energy being waged by this President and his Republican allies to ensure a healthier and cleaner future that allows us to keep the lights on and costs down here in New York”.
“Americans are facing increasing energy costs because this administration would rather pay off energy companies than let us build the new power sources we need”, said Attorney General James.
“These illegal backroom deals take money that should have gone toward lowering New Yorkers’ bills and hand it to fossil fuel projects in other states, all while our energy demand continues to grow. At a moment when every available resource should go to keeping the lights on and prices down, this administration is choosing corruption over communities. We will fight until these unlawful deals are struck down”.
