STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Arthur Kill Terminal’s future remains in limbo after President Donald Trump’s actions halted the project’s construction this year.
The terminal is meant to function as a specialized port at the foot of the Outerbridge Crossing where offshore wind turbines and towers could be assembled and staged before being brought out to sea.
In August, under the direction of Trump, Arthur Kill Terminal lost $48 million in federal funding that was acquired by Sen. Chuck Schumer in 2022.
Prior to that, Trump’s executive order halting all federal offshore wind project permits delayed the terminal’s final authorizations and groundbreaking.
That is, until the beginning of December 2025.
A new year of opportunity
Boone Davis, president and CEO of AOT. (Staten Island Advance/Joseph Ostapiuk)Staten Island Advance/Joseph Ostapiuk
Last week, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down President Trump’s executive memorandum that indefinitely halted new offshore and onshore wind leasing and permitting.
Judge Patti B. Saris ruled the January 20 directive “arbitrary and capricious” and “contrary to law” under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), determining it was a final agency action subject to judicial review. The decision vacates the memorandum in full, clearing the way for agencies to resume processing wind energy projects.
“We were very encouraged to see the decision from the federal court last week invalidating President Trump’s executive memorandum with regard to offshore wind energy and are hoping that the federal agencies that are involved in the project will respond accordingly, and that [we] will be able to move forward then,” said Atlantic Offshore Terminal CEO and President Boone Davis and CCO Charles Dougherty.
Atlantic Offshore Terminals is the parent company behind Arthur Kill Terminal, which has been in the planning stages for over five years.
The terminal was initially supposed to undergo its 20- to 23-month construction this year, with an activation anticipated for 2026.
Even with the court’s decision to axe Trump’s executive order, a 2026 groundbreaking at the terminal site along Arthur Kill Road remains unclear, Dougherty and Davis said.
The construction aimed to create 750 union jobs after the terminal signed a memorandum of understanding with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York in March of 2024.
In terms of permitting, the city permits are complete and the state permits are nearly completed.
Despite the pushback from the federal government and the loss of their federal funding, Davis and Dougherty maintain their steadfast dedication to the project’s completion and success.
They said, “…we were very pleased to see the response of Governor Hochul and other members of the New York state government to the federal court’s decision and are looking forward to seeing how the state responds to this gate being opened and continuing to lead the way on offshore wind energy in 2026.”
Pictured is a rendering of the Arthur Kill Terminal warehouse. (Courtesy of Arthur Kill Terminal/Atlantic Offshore Terminals)Courtesy of Arthur Kill Terminal/Atlantic Offshore Terminals
The terminal previously boasted unanimous support from all elected officials on Staten Island at the city, state and federal level.
However, after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy pulled funding for a dozen offshore wind projects in Trump’s bid to push America away from green, sustainable energy, the tone changed.
“We were skeptical of the suitability of this site, viewing the massive, long-term funding required as both risky and overly ambitious. Moreover, we were concerned about the potential environmental damage and the risk of burdening the community with abandoned infrastructure if the project collapsed. Those fears were justified—and here we are,” Borough President Vito Fossella said in a written statement in August. “Moving forward, we will collaborate with city and state agencies to champion alternative plans that truly prioritize the best interests of the Staten Island community.”
The project passed through Fossella’s office during the terminal’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, where he was given a chance to make recommendations in 2024 before it went to the City Planning Commission and City Council for approval.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who had petitioned two high-level military officials to approve a permit for the construction of Arthur Kill Terminal in April, said: “We are working with Secretary Duffy to get the funding repurposed to another maritime, port infrastructure or economic development project that would benefit Staten Island. The permitting work I did in April is for the development of the port, but not specific to any one project.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said they are reviewing the funding cut made by Duffy, but did not explicitly name Arthur Kill Terminal.
Schumer Responds
Sen. Chuck Schumer. (Advance/SILive.com | Joseph Ostapiuk)Joseph Ostapiuk
“The Trump administration’s decision to suddenly pull hard-won federal funding for wind power assembly at Arthur Kill Terminal is outrageous. It kills many hundreds of good-paying union jobs and short-circuits the essential effort to expand clean wind energy, which will lower energy bills, clean our air, and power our economy. In the strongest terms possible, I urge the Trump administration to realize its mistake, reverse course, and restore funding to this critical infrastructure project. This is a gut shot to Staten Island and makes zero sense,” Schumer said to the Advance/SILive.com.
Educational opportunities
Pictured is a rendering of the Arthur Kill Terminal AKT Cole House Visitor Center. (Courtesy of Arthur Kill Terminal/Atlantic Offshore Terminals)Courtesy of Arthur Kill Terminal/Atlantic Offshore Terminals
In October 2024, Arthur Kill Terminal announced its plan to unite with the College of Staten Island to provide educational opportunities for students looking to enter the offshore wind industry.
In an interview with the college’s vice president, Robert Wallace, and the director of offshore wind initiatives, workforce development and professional programs at the college, James Bennett, the pair agreed that the college will continue to support students looking to enter this field.
“Arthur Kill [Terminal] is a proposed project for Staten Island that has great potential and a lot of big pluses,” said Bennett, who spent a large portion of his career in renewable energy.
“We are in the process of assessing the market and determining at what point it would be best to move forward with that particular project. It is caught up in all the goings on with regard to the slowdown, or the… halted permitting if you will,” he explained.
Wallace said he is hopeful that the project moves forward so the college can provide its students with hands-on experience in offshore wind, but that the programs offered by the school can also translate to other industries should the project stall.
“The way we’ve planned it out in terms of some of our programs that we want to develop would translate across industries, so it’s not dependent on [Arthur Kill Terminal], but it certainly would help if that moved forward,” Wallace said.