NEW YORK (AP) — New York's attorney general sued the Trump administration on Friday over its decision to halt two major offshore wind projects expected to power more than 1 million homes in the state.
State Attorney General Letitia James said in legal challenges filed in federal court in Washington that the U.S. Department of the Interior's Dec. 22 order suspending construction on the projects off Long Island, citing national security concerns, was arbitrary and unwarranted.
The Democrat said Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind projects had already cleared more than a decade of security and safety reviews by federal, state and local authorities. She said pausing them now threatens New York’s economy and energy grid, and she asked the court to intervene.
“New Yorkers deserve clean, reliable energy, good-paying jobs, and a government that follows the law,” James said in a statement. “This reckless decision puts workers, families, and our climate goals at risk.”
Spokespersons for the Interior Department and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which are both named in the litigation, declined to comment Friday, citing the pending litigation.
The Interior Department's order last month suspended Sunrise Wind, Empire Wind and three other offshore wind projects under construction along the East Coast. The department maintains that the movement of massive turbine blades can cause radar interference called “clutter" that can obscure legitimate moving targets and generate false ones.
Trump has also dismissed offshore wind developments as ugly, expensive and a threat to wildlife as he pushes fossil fuels over renewable energy for electricity production.
Empire Wind is located about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) southeast of Long Island and is projected to power more than 500,000 homes. Equinor, the Norwegian company developing the project, has said it's about 60% complete.
Sunrise Wind is located about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Montauk and is expected to power about 600,000 homes. Orsted, the Danish energy company developing the project, has said it's roughly 45% complete.
Both developers have also filed their own legal challenges, as have the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island.
James previously led a coalition of attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., in challenging Trump's executive order pausing approvals, permits and loans for all wind energy projects, both onshore and offshore.
Last month, a federal judge in Massachusetts sided with the attorneys general and vacated the Jan. 20, 2025, order. Days later, the Trump administration issued the stop-work order on the East Coast projects.
FILE - A sign for the company Equinor is displayed on Oct. 28, 2020, in Fornebu, Norway. (Håkon Mosvold Larsen/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)
FILE - The logo for the Danish company Orsted is displayed on the exterior of the Avedore Power Station in Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Aug. 19, 2025. (Sebastian Elias Uth/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
PHOENIX (AP) — Sarah Strong of UConn was named The Associated Press women’s basketball Player of the Year on Thursday after leading the Huskies to an undefeated season, setting the stage for a run to the Final Four.
Strong became just the fifth player to win the award in her sophomore year, joining Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris (2007), UConn stars Maya Moore (2009) and Breanna Stewart (2014), and USC's JuJu Watkins, who won it last year. The AP started giving out the award in 1995.
It's the 13th time that a Huskies player has won the award with Paige Bueckers being the last to do it before Strong in 2021.
Vanderbilt's Shea Ralph, who was a former UConn player and assistant coach, won the AP Coach of the Year award. They both accepted the awards in front of a full room that included the entire UConn team, which gave a standing ovation when both winners were announced.
“I’m so blessed because I totally got to this point in my life because of my teammates,” Strong said.
Strong received 25 votes from a national media panel that votes for the Top 25 each week. Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes garnered four votes and UCLA's Lauren Betts got the other two. Voting was completed before the NCAA Tournament began.
“Anybody that has watched us play would probably tell you that she's the heart and soul of our team,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “She elevates the play of everyone on our team."
He called Strong “the most low-key superstar you ever saw.”
“You don’t see that look in her eyes, you know, like, oh, my God, there’s always just, a calmness,” he said. “That’s the best way I can describe it. That allows her to just be free and fluid and play without worry. ”
Auriemma has coached some of the greatest in the game including Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi. Strong fits in with them.
“The great ones, the great ones all had it. I never saw (Taurasi) nervous,” he said. ‘You know that they came in as freshmen and you can tell by the look in their eyes, ’I can handle this. This is what I think. This is why I came here.' You know some may pretend, but you know deep down you’re not ready for that moment. She’s ready for that one."
Strong is averaging 18.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 1.6 blocks a game while helping UConn go 38-0. She's shooting 59.4% from the field, 40.4% from 3 and 84.8% from the the foul line while playing just 27 minutes a game.
The sensational sophomore raised her game when the Huskies faced Top 25 opponents, averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. She reached 1,000 career points in her 59th career game, the third-fastest player in school history to reach the milestone.
Strong was the Big East Player of the Year as well as the Most Outstanding Player of the Fort Worth Regional.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
Associated Press deputy global sports editor Oscar Dixon, left, presents UConn's Sarah Strong with the 2026 AP Women's Player of the Year award during a news conference at the Women's Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
UConn forward Sarah Strong, front, and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo compete for a loose ball during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
FILE - UConn forward Sarah Strong (21) reacts during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Syracuse, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
FILE - UConn forward Sarah Strong drives against Notre Dame during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
FILE - UConn forward Sarah Strong (21) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Notre Dame, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
