A bipartisan step to advance offshore wind in America

Media Contacts

WASHINGTON, DC – Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) today introduced the Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act, which creates an investment tax credit for the first 3,000 MW of offshore wind facilities placed into service off America’s coast. Eleven additional senators are listed as original cosponsors: Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Angus King (I-Maine), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

America’s Atlantic Coast has some of the best offshore wind energy resources in the world, and a 2014 Environment America Research & Policy Center report showed that continued, rapid development of wind energy would allow the renewable resource to supply 30 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2030, providing substantial reductions in carbon pollution.

The nation’s first offshore wind farm started construction earlier this year off the Rhode Island coast and is on track to be generating power sometime next year. By contrast, there are more than 2,300 turbines off the coasts of 11 European nations.   

Environment America’s energy program director Rob Sargent issued the following statement in response to today’s bill introduction:

“We have potential to power the Eastern Seaboard with pollution-free wind energy off our shores that has so far gone untapped. Today’s action is critical to fulfilling the promise of offshore wind for America. Hats off to Senators Carper and Collins and the other sponsors of this bill for leading the effort in Congress.

“Tapping even just a fraction of our offshore wind potential would bring big benefits to our health, the environment, and our children’s future. Up and down the Atlantic Coast, state leaders and the Obama administration have been putting the building blocks in place to advance offshore wind development. We encourage Congress to quickly consider and pass this important legislation to help ensure that clean, renewable offshore wind becomes a reality as soon as possible.