AWEA Releases Statement on U.S. Department of the Interior Actions on Status of Offshore Wind Development

Washington D.C. – December 15, 2020 – The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), which is merging into the American Clean Power Association (ACP) in January 2021, today released the following statement regarding recent developments from the U.S. Department of the Interior involving federal reviews of the Vineyard Wind project and the many other offshore wind projects in progress up and down the Atlantic coast and other regions of the Outer Continental Shelf.

“The American offshore wind industry fully believes that offshore wind, commercial fisheries, and other ocean users are capable of coexisting together as we all collaborate to share our country’s promising offshore waters to the benefit of all Americans. At stake is a U.S. homegrown industry that is poised to take off, putting at risk 83,000 American jobs, $25 billion in annual economic investments, a new domestic supply chain, and clean electricity for millions of homes within the next decade. The U.S. Department of the Interior and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management have a strong record of developing energy resources, which includes offshore wind, in a responsible manner that allows coexistence and continued use of other ocean resources.

Offshore wind energy is a cornerstone of our country’s energy transition and has widespread support among the American public on both sides of the political aisle, as well as the backing of states on the Atlantic coast and other regions of the Outer Continental Shelf who are actively seeking to add offshore wind energy generation to their electricity profiles and revitalize their port communities to support offshore wind infrastructure. The entire industry looks forward to continued cooperation with federal regulators and other ocean users as we push into the new year, aiding with our country’s economic recovery and finally unleashing the powerhouse of opportunity that offshore wind represents for America.” – Laura Morton, Sr. Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Offshore Wind, for AWEA, which is merging into the American Clean Power Association in January 2021.