Trump Lifts Stop Work Order on $5B Empire Wind Project in NY

Visualizations of the Empire Wind offshore wind farm. Image courtesy Equinor

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has lifted the stop work order on the Empire Wind project, allowing construction activities to resume after a month-long suspension.

The $5 billion Empire Wind 1 project, designed to power 500,000 New York homes by 2027, represents a significant milestone in the U.S. renewable energy sector. The project, which began construction in 2024 and is currently more than 30% complete, faced a temporary setback when BOEM ordered an immediate cessation of activities on April 16, 2025.

Empire Wind also includes a potential second phase with a collective generating capacity of approximately 2.1 gigawatts.

Anders Opedal, President and CEO of Equinor ASA, expressed gratitude to key stakeholders, including President Trump and New York Governor Hochul, whose collaboration proved crucial in resolving the situation. “We appreciate the fact that construction can now resume on Empire Wind, a project which underscores our commitment to deliver energy while supporting local economies and creating jobs,” Opedal stated.

The suspension was part of a broader halt on offshore wind development ordered by President Trump, with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum citing concerns about the previous administration’s approval process.

The decision prompted legal action from 18 states, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, aimed at protecting maritime investments and jobs.

The project’s financial stakes are substantial, with Empire Wind holding a gross book value of approximately USD 2.5 billion as of March 31, 2025, including USD 1.5 billion in project finance term loans. The development also encompasses the redevelopment of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, set to become the nation’s largest dedicated port facility for offshore wind.

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Former President Joe Biden Diagnosed With an Aggressive Form of Prostate Cancer

The cancer has metastasized to the bone, according to a statement from Mr. Biden’s personal office.

By Tyler Pager, New York Times, May 18, 2025Updated 4:33 p.m. ET

Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. was diagnosed Friday with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

The diagnosis came after Mr. Biden reported urinary symptoms, which led doctors to find a “small nodule” on his prostate. Mr. Biden’s cancer is “characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone,” the statement said.

Related: Aggressive form of cancer

“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” according to the statement from Mr. Biden’s office, which was unsigned. “The president and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”

Mr. Biden, 82, left office in January as the oldest-serving president in American history. Throughout his presidency, Mr. Biden faced questions about his age and his health, which ultimately led him to abandon his re-election campaign

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People hold signs and chant slogans during a protest against the Trump administration, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File) — *People hold signs and chant slogans during a protest against the Trump administration, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Miami.*

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Tucked deep in the thousand-plus pages of the multitrillion-dollar budget bill making its way through the Republican-controlled U.S. House is a paragraph curtailing a court’s greatest tool for forcing the government to obey its rulings: the power to enforce contempt findings.

It’s unclear whether the bill can pass the House in its current form — it failed in a committee vote Friday — whether the U.S. Senate would preserve the contempt provision or whether courts would uphold it. But the fact that GOP lawmakers are including it shows how much those in power in the nation’s capital are thinking about the consequences of defying judges as the battle between the Trump administration and the courts escalates.

Republican President Donald Trump raised the stakes again Friday when he attacked the U.S. Supreme Court for its ruling barring his administration from quickly resuming deportations under an 18th-century wartime law: “THE SUPREME COURT WON’T ALLOW US TO GET CRIMINALS OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!” Trump posted on his social media network, Truth Social.

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Are Trump and the courts headed for a showdown over separation of powers? Read More »

EPA rolls back part of PFAS drinking water standards

The agency will continue regulating PFOA and PFOS in drinking water, but will extend compliance timelines. It has rescinded rules for four other PFAS chemicals.

By Megan Quinn, Senior Reporter, Waste Dive

The U.S. EPA will roll back significant parts of the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation by rescinding four of the six chemicals named in the regulation.

The agency announced on Wednesday it will rescind and “reconsider” regulations for PFHxS, PFNA, PFBS and HFPO-DA, commonly known as GenX. EPA says it plans to keep regulations for two other chemicals in the standard: PFOA and PFOS.

The announcement rolls back major parts of the drinking water rule set under the Biden administration last April, which set legally enforceable limits for the six types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water. The EPA has said PFAS exposure can cause numerous health problems.

The drinking water rules have become the default standard for treating a range of wastewater categories. The standards are relevant to waste facility operators because of how the rules might affect leachate management and groundwater monitoring efforts, as well as how these facilities interact with wastewater treatment facilities. The regulations also represent business opportunities for waste companies that service industrial clients.

The EPA now plans to extend compliance deadlines for PFOA and PFOS, saying it would give drinking water system operators more time to develop plans for complying with maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for the two chemicals.

The agency is planning a new rulemaking process to propose extending that compliance date from 2029 to 2031. EPA said it may issue the proposed rule sometime this fall and finalize the rule in spring of 2026.

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Washington Gov. Ferguson signs EPR packaging bill into law

Ferguson called it the “biggest overhaul of our recycling system in decades.” Washington’s law, the seventh in the U.S., drew opposition from the waste and recycling industry.

By Megan Quinn, Senior Reporter, Waste Dive

Washington is now the seventh U.S. state with a packaging EPR law.

Gov. Bob Ferguson signed SB 5284 into law on Saturday, the culmination of years of advocacy to get a bill across the finish line. He called it the “biggest overhaul of our recycling system in decades” during the signing.

Now that Washington has adopted the law, the whole West Coast of the U.S. has an EPR for packaging program. California and Oregon have also adopted such laws.

The Recycling Reform Act creates an extended producer responsibility program for most kinds of paper and packaging. It also establishes a statewide recycling collection list and calls for adding curbside recycling for all homes that already have curbside trash service. Ferguson noted at the bill signing that this could add service for hundreds of thousands of households.

It also calls for the state’s Department of Ecology to conduct and submit a statewide recycling needs assessment, due by Dec. 31, 2026, and update it with any new data by Dec. 31, 2027.

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PA extends program to boost containerized cargo through its ports

By Mike Schuler, gCaptain

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has announced the extension of its Intermodal Cargo Growth Incentive Program (PICGIP) until July 2027, continuing its efforts to boost containerized cargo movement through Pennsylvania ports.

The program, which provides up to $1 million annually to participating ocean carriers, offers $25 per new container unit for carriers establishing new services at Pennsylvania ports. Success of the initiative is evident in the 2024 figures, with PhilaPort handling over 840,000 containers and PSA Penn Terminals processing 357,000 containers.

“Pennsylvania’s ports are critical to our transportation network and to our economy, and growth at the ports means growth in the Commonwealth,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll.

In a strategic move to enhance Asian trade routes, the program has introduced special incentives for carriers establishing new service lines from Southeast or Far East Asia. These carriers can earn $25 per container unit with an increased annual cap of $500,000, double the standard carrier cap of $250,000.

Since its 2015 inception through PennDOT’s Multimodal Fund, the program has facilitated the movement of over 3 million cargo units through Pennsylvania ports, resulting in more than $7 million in incentives awarded across nine ocean carriers.

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Trump Lifts Stop Work Order on $5B Empire Wind Project in NY

Former President Joe Biden Diagnosed With an Aggressive Form of Prostate Cancer

The cancer has metastasized to the bone, according to a statement from Mr. Biden’s personal office.

Are Trump and the courts headed for a showdown over separation of powers?

EPA rolls back part of PFAS drinking water standards

The agency will continue regulating PFOA and PFOS in drinking water, but will extend compliance timelines. It has rescinded rules for four other PFAS chemicals.

Washington Gov. Ferguson signs EPR packaging bill into law

Ferguson called it the “biggest overhaul of our recycling system in decades.” Washington’s law, the seventh in the U.S., drew opposition from the waste and recycling industry.

PA extends program to boost containerized cargo through its ports

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