American Wind Energy Association Statement on Bipartisan Letter to Treasury on Offshore Wind Safe Harbor

Washington D.C. – The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today issued the following statement supporting Senator Cassidy, Senator Whitehouse, and other Senate leaders who sent a letter to the Treasury Department on the importance of safe-guarding America’s offshore wind energy future.
 
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges facing offshore wind development, threatening to sink the industry just as it was about to set sail in the U.S. and putting our country at risk of falling even further behind global competitors. On top of construction delays and financial difficulties faced by the entire wind community, offshore developers are facing the significant additional challenges related to permitting offshore in federal waters. Delays from COVID compound other scheduling difficulties, such as those related to coastal weather and ocean wildlife migration patterns, placing further constraints on the industry’s ability to move forward in a timely manner. We commend the bipartisan group of Senators, led by Senators Cassidy and Whitehouse, on recognizing the need for a longer timeline to finalize these projects and providing certainty that will allow investments to continue. Making these adjustments to existing policies will provide the industry the flexibility to finally take off, enabling an energy source that is poised to deliver 83,000 jobs and $25 billion of annual economic output within the next decade. To date, nearly all American wind projects are on state and private land, and we encourage methods to allow projects on federal land and in federal waters to better navigate the already lengthy permitting, development, and construction process.” – Tom Kiernan, AWEA CEO.