The stunning reversal on the $5 billion Empire Wind 1 project comes after intervention by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and just hours before Norwegian energy giant Equinor was to drop the project because of a Department of Interior order in April to halt construction, The Point has learned.

Hochul told The Point that in a series of late-night weekend calls, Trump was persuaded to change his mind to save union jobs, mostly in Brooklyn. The project is a major step toward decarbonizing energy generation for New York City. Trump’s opposition to wind and climate change mitigation had cast a pall over the future of offshore projects in the U.S.

"I got him to yes by emphasizing how important these 1,500 jobs were to his supporters," the governor told The Point Monday morning. The head of Equinor, which is based in Norway, had told Hochul that the company was ready to decide later Monday to send to another location 11 ships waiting in Canada to construct the offshore platforms for the 54 turbines, effectively killing the New York project that is 30% complete.

Hochul said the administration’s reversal was not tied to any specific deal that required her to approve two interstate pipelines upstate that would bring more natural gas into New York and the Northeast. However, Hochul said Monday morning that she told Trump she is willing to approve the pipelines if all state and federal requirements were met.

[email protected]

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/maynationalcartoons

[email protected]

Subscribe to The Point here and browse past editions of The Point here.