That was the message Gov. Maura Healey and the governors of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Jersey sent on Labor Day, calling on the Trump administration to uphold the offshore wind permits that have already been granted and allow those projects to get built.
"On this Labor Day, we reaffirm our unwavering support for working people and the unions that represent them," the governors said in a joint statement. "We stand with America's workers and strongly urge the Trump Administration to keep these projects on track -- for our jobs, our families, our competitiveness, our energy security, and our future."
Since taking office, Trump has taken many steps to undercut the wind industry. His day one executive order paused federal approval of all offshore wind leases and permits, bringing projects that were still in progress to a screeching halt.
Initially, projects that were underway were considered safe. That changed in April, when the Trump administration issued a stop-work order to Empire Wind 1, a fully permitted and under-construction project that was planned to be the first to deliver offshore wind energy to New York City.
The Trump administration lifted the stop-work order not long after, indicating that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had shown a willingness to "move forward on critical pipeline capacity" -- an about-face following New York's past resistance to building new fossil fuel pipelines.
Hochul's office has said that no deals related to a gas pipeline were made.
More recently, Rhode Island's $4 billion Revolution Wind project -- which is 80 percent complete and poised to deliver renewable energy to as many as 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut -- was issued a stop-work order on Aug. 22.
That decision has led to harsh criticism from the unions whose laborers were working on the project.
"This is [expletive] right now," Michael F. Sabitoni, general secretary-treasurer of the Laborers' International Union of North America, said at a press conference following the decision. "This is bulls--t what's happening with the hard-working men and women that have dedicated a lot of time and effort and training to go out, in a very difficult environment, to build this very complex offshore wind project."
The cancellations announced Friday targeted several port projects, including nearly $34 million for the Salem Wind Port Project.
In announcing the cancellations, US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said his department had identified 12 offshore wind grants and project selections that were not aligned with the goals and priorities of the administration.
"Wasteful, wind projects are using resources that could otherwise go towards revitalizing America's maritime industry," he said. The funding will instead be redirected toward port upgrades and "core infrastructure" related to the country's shipbuilding capacity, he said.
In their joint statement, the governors said that cancelling projects that are already fully permitted, and in some cases near completion, "sends the message to investors that the work can be stopped on a whim, which could lead them to decide to either not finance different projects or impose higher interest rates that would ultimately place a bigger burden on taxpayers."
In addition to offshore wind and renewables, a diverse mix of resources -- including nuclear power, natural gas, hydropower, and other technologies -- will be needed to ensure they can attract major development projects to provide economic security, they said.
"As Governors, we are committed to delivering on this energy system for our states and working with the Trump Administration to advance projects that meet these objectives," they wrote.