Trump’s return to the Oval Office will deal another blow to the troubled offshore wind industry if his administration follows through on his promise to end federal support for offshore wind projects during his second term. There is a possibility. Republican lawmakers who oppose heavily subsidized green energy and commercial fishermen who see the industry as an existential threat to their livelihoods are calling on the president-elect to fulfill his campaign promise. But that could mean an end to federal subsidies and lease sales. For the industry. (Related: Biden celebrates ‘progress’ in offshore wind despite industry’s massive struggles and cancellations)
“We’re going to make sure that [offshore wind] It ends on the first day. I’m going to write it into an executive order,” Trump said. said A crowd of supporters gathers at a campaign rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, on May 11. “It will be over on the first day.”
Since January 2021, the Biden-Harris administration has approved 10 commercial-scale offshore wind projects and carried out There were six offshore wind lease sales, including one held just last week in the Gulf of Maine. criticized The commercial fishing effort is part of President Joe Biden’s broader climate action plan. Offshore wind has particularly suffered from inflationary headwinds; Cancel the project and deterioration of public opinion Even though the Biden administration has embraced the industry.
Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, a vocal critic of the offshore wind industry, said, “The second Trump administration is doing the right thing for the American people by scrapping the Biden-Harris offshore wind project.” There is no question that we will do so,” he told DCNF. “These projects burden our economy, harm our communities, and amount to nothing but political paybacks for special interests. We understand that America’s oil, gas, solar and especially nuclear energy can be delivered through a balanced energy policy, rather than wasteful wind projects that endanger the environment.”
“I think this is a very wise decision,” Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, told DCNF. “We’re wasting money, and the worst part is that we don’t have wind companies in the United States, so all that money goes to foreign wind companies. They’re all foreign companies. They make billions of dollars from American energy rate payers.”
Vineyard Wind Energy Project, Co. own by a Danish investment company and a Spanish power company. earned Republican Congressman I’m angry In July, when debris extended from one of the project’s turbine blades. longer Later than the Statue of Liberty washed up on the shores of Massachusetts. fall apart and falls into the sea.
scene of @fishstewardship Today’s flotilla protest at the Vineyard Wind Farm. pic.twitter.com/iVFpGHasYd
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) August 25, 2024
“We should never allow foreign companies to control our energy supply, let alone the negative impact it will have on the environment,” Harris said. I wrote At X.
The New England Fisheries Management Association (NEFSA) is a commercial fishing organization. tidy A flotilla protest took place at the site of a damaged Vineyard wind turbine in August. calling Trump administration rescinds President Biden’s policy goal The group is also calling on the incoming Trump administration to “delist unleased wind energy” off the New England and mid-Atlantic coasts.
NEFSA CEO Jerry Lehman told DCNF he is optimistic the Trump administration will be a “spokesman of reason” on offshore wind, prioritizing green energy goals over fishermen’s livelihoods. He argued that the departure from the previous government, which he had criticized for doing so, was a welcome move. and the health of the marine environment. (Related article: ‘We are cornered’: Fishermen protest offshore wind power after turbine failure sends debris into Atlantic Ocean)
NEFSA CEO Jerry Lehman said in a press release after Trump’s election victory that the next administration will save American workers from foreign developers and revitalize iconic coastal cities. “There is a historic opportunity to improve America’s food security.”
The Trump administration may also seek to repeal anti-inflation laws. subsidy Offshore wind projects would be targeted, potentially making continued growth of the industry off the Atlantic coast uneconomic, said Travis Fisher, director of energy and environmental policy research at the Cato Institute.
“If the Inflation Control Act subsidies are repealed, the outlook for offshore wind will be bleak,” Fisher told DCNF. “The high costs of offshore wind are inevitable. State and federal subsidies can hide costs by shifting them to the tax base, but ultimately mandates that offshore wind Either ratepayers or taxpayers will be responsible for the cost of offshore wind generation that is significantly higher than the market in the states in which they operate.”
Stock prices of offshore wind power developers and wind turbine manufacturers rise significantly decreased Wednesday following news of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ defeat the night before.
The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment from DCNF.
