Legislation Promoting Offshore Wind Introduced
Bipartisan legislation introduced in the US Senate would create valuable incentives for investments in offshore wind energy.
Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced the "Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act," which extends investment tax credits for the first 3,000 MW of offshore wind facilities placed into service – roughly 600 wind turbines.
These tax credits are vital to spur investments in offshore wind – there’s a much longer lead time for the permitting and construction of offshore projects compared to onshore wind.
Under the bill, once awarded a tax credit, companies have five years to install the offshore wind facility, and wouldn’t be eligible for other additional production or investment tax credits.
The bill defines offshore facilities as any facility located in the inland navigable waters of the US, including the Great Lakes, or in the coastal waters of the US – including territorial seas, the exclusive economic zone, and the outer Continental Shelf.
Cosponsors are Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Coons (D-DE), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
Offshore wind offers enormous potential for producing domestic energy and renewable energy jobs in areas located close to large population centers along the coasts.
According to the University of Delaware, the winds off the Atlantic Coast have the potential of generating 330 GW of power – enough to replace about 300 dirty, large coal plants and enough to supply all the energy for nine states from Massachusetts to North Carolina.
"This targeted, temporary incentive will be critical in jumpstarting the industry and creating thousands of jobs," says Senator Menendez.
A number of proposed offshore wind projects are moving through the development process – including projects in Delaware, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. Projects have also been discussed off the shores of Massachusetts, Maine and the Great Lakes states.
NOAA Approves Rhode Island Ocean Management Plan
In related news, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) approved a Rhode Island plan for offshore energy development.
The Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP) is designed to improve state review processes and policies to facilitate development of offshore projects in balance with transportation, fishing, recreation and environmental stewardship along the state’s coast and adjacent federal waters.
"By developing this plan, Rhode Island has emerged as a national leader in coastal management and ocean stewardship," says NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco. "This plan takes into account all ocean uses for enhancing commercial, recreational and environmental goals. This plan is what President Obama envisioned in the National Ocean Policy, and it sets a great example for other coastal states."
The Ocean SAMP area spans approximately 1,467 square miles over portions of Block Island Sound, Rhode Island Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean. It was developed over the course of two years by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council with the assistance of the University of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Sea Grant program and Roger Williams University, along with significant input from many other state, federal, tribal and local agencies, as well as other interested parties and the public.
With NOAA’s approval of the state’s Ocean SAMP under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act, Rhode Island becomes the first state to have incorporated a comprehensive ocean special area management plan in its coastal zone management program. This approval means that enforceable policies in the Ocean SAMP for protecting existing activities such as fishing, important habitats and archaeological resources, and identifying areas suitable for energy projects, may be applied to federal actions in federal waters.
View the Ocean SAMP here:
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