**CT Mirror’s independent, nonprofit journalism depends on reader support. Create more of it with a tax-deductible donation today.** Donate Gov. Ned Lamont took a victory lap in New London on Tuesday after a federal judge ordered work to resume on the Revolution Wind project, and he hinted that ongoing talks with the Trump administration could ease the path forward for both wind and fossil fuel projects in the region. “We have a lot of catching up to do,” Lamont told reporters from a vantage point overlooking the staging area at the State Pier, which was jam-packed with sections of turbines ready to be loaded onto ships and taken out to sea for installation. That installation work, which was shut down for nearly a month on the orders of the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, is slated to restart as soon as Wednesday, Lamont said. “When these wind turbines are spinning in less than a year, it’s going to bring down the price of electricity, because it brings down peak pricing during the winter months, which is the most expensive time,” Lamont said. “This is a big deal for business, so it’s good.” Lamont was joined in New London by his counterpart in Rhode Island, Democratic Gov. Dan McKee, along with a throng of union workers and state and local officials to celebrate Monday’s**** decision by U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth, which**** lifted the stop-work order. While the Trump administration may still appeal that decision, Lamberth did not stay his order — thus allowing work to resume immediately on the $6 billion project. ### Want to read more in-depth Connecticut news? Get CT Mirror's latest government and public policy reporting in your inbox daily. SIGN UP In a statement on Tuesday, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said that Lamberth’s ruling “will not be the final say on the matter.” “President Trump was elected with a resounding mandate to end Joe Biden’s war on American energy and restore our country’s energy dominance — which includes prioritizing the most effective and reliable tools to power our country,” Kelly said. Rather than gloating on their initial victory, however, both Lamont and McKee offered a conciliatory note to President Donald J. Trump, saying they were engaged in conversations with administration officials about a broader energy strategy for the New England region. “We’re working very closely with the Trump administration,” Lamont said. “We’re doing everything it can, not just right here [in New London] but what we can do to add on additional energy across our region. That’s all the above, from my point of view.” ## More STORIES IN Energy/ENvironment ### Judge orders Trump administration to lift Revolution Wind stop-work order ### Marissa Gillett to resign, ending turbulent era at PURA Lamont has repeatedly touted his relationships with two Trump administration figures in particular: Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. He met with both officials during a visit to Washington, D.C., in February during which he expressed an interest in working with the federal government to secure permits for an expansion of natural gas infrastructure and state-of-the-art nuclear reactors. The governor also noted that a purported deal between officials in New York and the federal government, which would allow the construction of new gas pipelines, was widely seen as necessary to spare another wind project — Empire Wind — from cancellation by the Trump administration. But in his efforts to negotiate a similar deal to save Revolution Wind, Lamont said his overtures were repeatedly met with silence. “Show me the ransom note,” was how he characterized those talks to reporters last week, before the judge granted an injunction, allowing work to resume. And while Lamont suggested some progress was made in talks held over the weekend, he confirmed on Tuesday that federal officials have not made any explicit request for Connecticut to approve natural gas pipelines in order to get them to lift their opposition to Revolution Wind. Lamont’s willingness to strike a deal with the Trump administration involving an expansion of natural gas pipelines also risks alienating environmental advocates, who see gas as a costly and polluting source of power generation. “I don’t think more natural gas is an ‘all of the above’ strategy,” said Charles Rothenberger, a climate and energy attorney for Save the Sound. “We’re full up on natural gas. You know, it’s by far the majority of what’s powering our electricity grid in the region. Here in Connecticut, we use an awful lot of it for home heating, and that creates a conflict. That’s a conflict, particularly with winter reliability, that offshore wind… is ideally designed to meet.” Still, Rothenberger said he did not see much downside to officials like Lamont retaining “cordial” relationships with the Trump administration. In addition to the soon-to-be-installed components of the Revolution Wind development that were stacked up on the State Pier Tuesday, equipment for the developers’ next project — the even larger Sunrise Wind, which will send power to New York — were being staged in preparation for offshore construction. Asked whether he feared retaliation from the Trump administration targeting that project, Rhode Island’s McKee said the states would act similarly to protect workers and sources of clean energy. “Those battles could come our way, but we’re prepared to fight them,” McKee said. **Meet the moment.** Across the country, trust in news is eroding. Powerful figures are challenging stories they don’t like with legal threats. Local newsrooms are shrinking or closing. As that happens, misinformation, government corruption, political polarization, and even the cost of government all go up. And voter turnout, civic engagement, knowledge of candidates and government accountability all go down. As trust in national news organizations plummets, trust in CT Mirror continues to remain high. As newsrooms face pressure to pull their punches, CT Mirror operates fiercely independently. As local newsrooms wither, CT Mirror continues to grow. **CT Mirror is a local journalism success story.** All without a subscription fee or paywall. That’s because fair, accurate, unbiased news should be available to everyone, not just those who can afford it. So where does CT Mirror’s funding come from? It comes from a community of readers who understand that journalism strengthens our state. **There’s more work to do. As major disruptions take place in Connecticut, CT Mirror tells you what’s happening and why. The more investigative reporting we do, the more we see a need to do more investigative reporting.** Holding government accountable will always require tough questions, in-depth research, and painstaking reporting. **If you agree, can you start a $15/month recurring donation today?** Thank you.

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